Love Hina Defeated
by Bugsy
Summary: Motoko attacks Keitaro after she loses a tournament. Will he survive? Updated with some minor revisions.
1. Retribution

Love Hina – Defeated

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

**Chapter One – Retribution**

**Friday Morning.**

Motoko bows to Keitaro as she leaves for a kendo tournament.

"Please continue maintaining the facilities while I am away."

Shinobu hugs Keitaro and then pulls Su off his shoulders.

"We'll be back from visiting my family on Tuesday, Sempai! Take care of yourself!"

"Bye-bye Keitaro! I left a bunch of bananas for ya!"

Tama-chan raises her flipper to Keitaro as she lands on Su's head.

"Mew!"

Kitsune grabs her backpack and blows a kiss to Keitaro.

"Ya'll take care of the place while we're gone! I think I'll spend a few days writing in Osaka."

Naru looks over her shoulder as she walks to the steps.

"Keitaro, you'd better not go in my room while I'm gone! And, uh, call me if you want someone to talk to."

Keitaro watches the girls leave and then turns back to the inn.

"This is going to be a long four days without anyone around."

**Friday Afternoon.**

Motoko looks at the bottom level of the elimination chart.

Tokyo Regional Kendo Tournament Quarterfinals: First Session Eliminations – Round One:

First Match: Aoyama Motoko – defeated by Otama Kikuchi – Time: 0 minutes 32 seconds.

Second Match: Yamada Yumie – defeated by Taira Sumiko – Time: 5 minutes 17 seconds.

Third Match: Katoh Yuki – defeated by Morimoto Noriko – Time: 3 minutes 22 seconds.

Fourth Match: Inoue Hikaru – defeated by Ishida Chi – Time: 6 minutes 5 seconds.

Her pack over her shoulder and her head high, Motoko turns and walks away from the scene of her defeat.

**Friday Evening.**

Motoko slowly opens the door and enters the foyer of Hinata-sou. She removes her coat and hangs it on a hook.

"I was defeated by a novice. I cannot believe that I have allowed my training to falter because of that vile, lecherous male."

She makes her way to the kitchen to prepare a glass of tea. As she walks through the dining room, Keitaro looks up from the table and smiles.

"Motoko-chan! Why are you back so soon? Did you win the tournament already?"

Motoko stands silently and looks at the manager. Seconds slowly pass. Her hand drops to the hilt of her wooden training sword.

"This is your fault! Your vile presence has caused me to neglect my training! I should not have lost so easily to, to a novice! I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

Keitaro pushes his chair back and stands up.

"I'm sorry. I should have thought before I said that. It is a shame that you lost. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

Flames leap from Motoko's eyes as she raises her sword.

"Do not attempt to console me! I have restrained myself far too long for the benefit of the others. That facade ends now!"

"Motoko-chan, you're still too upset. Talk to me, let me help!"

"Silence! I will not listen to your words any longer! Prepare to fall, Urashima!"

"Motoko-chan, please!"

Unable to bear the sound of his concern, something inside Motoko snaps. She leaps over the table and brings her sword down.

"Shinmei-ryu no Zanganken! God's Cry Attack of The Stone Cleaving Sword!"

Chi swirls from her blade and hurls towards him. Unable to move in time, Keitaro is engulfed by the vortex and slammed into the far wall. Before he slides to the floor, Motoko sends another blast at him.

"Shinmei-ryu no Zanganken! God's Cry Attack of The Stone Cleaving Sword!"

The wall shatters and Keitaro is flung outside, tumbling to a stop near the hot spring. Motoko leaps through the opening and raises her sword once more. Keitaro tries to lift his left arm but screams out as pain erupts from his elbow. Motoko stands over him and launches another attack.

"Shinmei-ryu no Raimeiken! God's Cry Attack of The Thundering Blade!"

Keitaro's legs crumple as he crashes into the rocks on the far side of the water. He falls to the ground and curls into a ball, using his good arm to clutch at his legs. Motoko leaps over the hot spring and lashes out with her wooden sword. After a few blows, the stick shatters. Tossing it aside, she drops next to Keitaro and begins striking him with her fists.

"Shinmei-ryu no Gurenken! God's Cry Attack of The Crimson Lotus Fist!"

After a few minutes, the exhausted sword master stands and walks back into the inn. Grabbing her backpack, she heads up to her room and slams the door closed. She falls to her futon and is soon fast asleep.

**Saturday Morning.**

A crack of thunder awakens Motoko. She sits up and rubs her eyes.

"Spirits, what a horrific dream. I would never wish to strike another in such a manner, even if it were Urashima."

As she pulls the blanket off, her eyes are drawn to her scraped and bruised knuckles. She stares at them for a few seconds and then leaps to her feet.

"This cannot be. Was that not just a dream?"

The events of the previous evening flood refreshed into her mind.

"Urashima!"

Leaping to her feet, she races downstairs and to the hot spring.

"Urashima! Where are you?"

Looking around, she finds her shattered training sword and sees the hole in the wall. Heedless of the rain, she searches around the hot spring until she finally notices some blood on the handle of the door to the changing room. She opens the door and follows the trail of red droplets up to the manager's room. She raps lightly on his door.

"Urashima! I am so sorry! Please, may I enter? I swear that I will not attempt any further harm upon you."

She slides open the door and spots Keitaro's unmade futon on the floor. Small drops of dried blood are next to the kotatsu table. She moves over and sees an open first aid kit on the floor. Bloodied fingerprints stain the box.

"Oh spirits no."

After searching the room, Motoko moves back into the hallway and begins to search every room in the inn. Finding no trace of Keitaro, she moves through the foyer and out the front door. If Keitaro had left Hinata-sou, the rain has erased all signs. Motoko drops to her knees as rain runs down her hair.

"Spirits forgive me. Urashima, what have I done?"

**Flashback. Friday Night.**

Keitaro opens one eye as a light rain begins to fall. His left eyelid is swollen shut. Carefully, he uses his right arm and pushes himself up. Finding a cleaning brush nearby, he uses it for support and staggers to the door, holding his right foot off the ground. As he struggles through the common room, he looks up at the clock. Four hours had passed since Motoko's return.

Sweat drips down his face as he pulls himself up the stairs and to the second floor. After entering his room, he pulls a first aid box from his desk and begins cleaning his wounds. He ties a sling around his neck and gingerly places his left arm into it. He turns his attention to his right foot. It is bent at an odd angle, so he carefully wraps it in place, using strips from a towel to help pad it.

"Motoko-chan was really mad at me. I hope that she cools down some overnight. I don't think I'd survive another attack like that."

He moves to his futon and lies down.

"I really need to call Doctor Hikari, but I think I'll rest a bit first, I still feel so weak."

After placing a cold towel on his bruised eyelid, an exhausted Keitaro quickly falls asleep.

**Saturday Morning.**

A crack of thunder awakens him. He opens his right eye and looks around as morning slowly brightens the room.

"I must have fallen asleep. I'd better go call Hikari-san."

From upstairs, he hears Motoko's voice.

"Urashima!"

"Oh heck! That doesn't sound good! I've got to get out of here before Motoko-chan finds me!"

As he makes his way to the stairs, he hears Motoko running down the back steps. When he reaches the common room, he hears Motoko shout again from the hot spring.

"Urashima! Where are you?"

Knowing that he cannot make it out the front door before the sword master finds him, Keitaro moves a panel aside and crawls into one of the hidden passages that run through the inn. He moves the panel back in place just before Motoko runs through the common room and upstairs. Using the opportunity, he crawls deeper into the tunnel. Keitaro can hear footsteps echoing through the building and understands that Motoko is making a room-by-room search for him.

"I hope she doesn't find this tunnel. As far as I know, Su-chan is the only one that knows about it."

He crawls until he reaches a ledge that he cannot climb because of his injuries. He sits against the wall and waits, fearing that at any moment Motoko will discover the panel and his hiding place. Motoko walks back inside the inn and sits on the couch. She lays the broken remains of her practice sword on the coffee table and sighs.

"I cannot let this happen. I must find Urashima before the others return."

In his hiding place, Keitaro hears only part of what Motoko says. To his ears, he thinks she said:

(I must find Urashima for the other's turn.)

Keitaro places his right hand on top of his head.

"What? Did they plan this all along? First Motoko-chan beats me almost to death, and then the others come back while I'm incapacitated! God, they're really planning to kill me!"

**Saturday Noon.**

Unable to find any sign of the manager, Motoko finally walks through the rain to the Tea Shop.

"Haruka-san, excuse me, but have you seen Urashima?"

Haruka looks up from the counter and adjusts her cigarette holder.

"No, I haven't seen Keitaro since yesterday afternoon. He dropped this when he was here, but I guess he wanted you to have it."

She hands her an envelope and Motoko carefully opens it.

(Motoko-chan. No matter if you win or lose, just be proud if you did your best! Urashima Keitaro)

Motoko places the card in the envelope and hands it back to Haruka.

"I do not deserve this. I lost the first match and blamed him for my failure. When I returned last evening I, I struck him. No, that is not correct. I viciously attacked Urashima. I kept hitting him even when he was down, even after he could no longer defend himself."

Tears spill from her eyes and form small pools on the table.

"It was as if I had become an animal. I had no feelings in my soul. No desire except to hurt him, and to keep hurting him until the disgrace of my defeat was expunged."

Haruka sits next to her.

"So, he ran away again? He left to get away from you."

Motoko shakes her head.

"I do not know what has become of him. None of his possessions are missing. If he left, he took nothing with him. Judging by what I found in his room, he must still be in pain."

Haruka places her hand on Motoko's.

"I'm sure that he'll contact me, he always does when he leaves. You should wait up there in case he calls. I'll contact Naru, she usually knows where to find him."

"He is injured. Perhaps he has gone to seek Hikari-sensei's help?"

Haruka picks up the telephone and dials Hinata Clinic. A minute later, she replaces the receiver.

"Hikari-san hasn't heard from him, but she'll let us know if he shows up."

Motoko stands and walks to the door.

"I am sorry, Haruka-san. I know that you have told me to be more patient with your nephew, and now it has come to this."

Haruka smiles at the sword master.

"Everything will be okay. Keitaro always manages to bounce back."

Motoko walks up the steps and enters the inn. She continues into the dining room and begins to repair the damage caused by her attack. In the passage, Keitaro hears the noise and relaxes, knowing that Motoko will not be searching for him for some time. Still weak from his injuries, he slides to the floor and closes his eye. Months of practice allow him to ignore the pain enough to let sleep overtake him.

**Saturday Evening.**

Naru shakes off her umbrella and places it next to the front door. Motoko stands as she walks into the common room.

"Naru-sempai, thank you for returning. I am sorry that I caused you to cut short your visit with your family."

Naru sits down and takes the glass of hot tea Motoko offers her.

"I'm sorry to hear you lost at the tournament. When did Keitaro leave?"

"I do not know for certain. It was sometime between last night and this morning.

Keitaro is awakened by the sound of voices in the common room. He quickly identifies Naru and Motoko talking, though he cannot make out what they are saying. He pushes himself up and leans against the wall. The pain from his wrecked elbow and ankle has subsided to a dull, yet constant throb. Of a more immediate concern to him is the fact that he has not had anything to eat or drink since before Motoko's attack. Hunger almost causes him to leave his hiding place, but the fear of being attacked by both Naru and Motoko prevents him from seeking sustenance. As he carefully rubs his elbow to ease the pain, he hears more voices.

Su and Shinobu quickly remove their raincoats and join Naru and Motoko in the common room.

"Aaauuuuu! Haruka-san said that Sempai ran away again. We hurried back as soon as she called."

Su grabs a banana from the table.

"Motoko, did ya really beat him up? I thought that ya liked playing with Keitaro. I mean sure, it's fun to bounce him off the walls and stuff, but geez, ya didn't have to spoil it for the rest of us by chasing him away!"

In his hiding place, Keitaro can barely make out their conversation. But, he clearly hears the last sentence that Su said. He hangs his head.

"I knew it. They are planning to beat me to death. I've got to do something, but I can't risk leaving while I'm injured. I'd be a sitting duck for them."

He rubs his stomach

"I'm really getting hungry."

He hears the girls welcome Kitsune back home. As he sits in the dark passage, an aroma wafts through the air. Kitsune had picked up some takeout, knowing that the others would be too busy to bother cooking. The sound of them talking over their meal almost drives him crazy. His stomach growls and he falls to his side.

"I'm so hungry!"

**Saturday Night.**

After some time passes, Keitaro opens his eye and looks up the passage. It is quiet in the inn, so he crawls towards the panel. Listening for any sounds first, he carefully moves the panel. The common room is quiet and empty. Heedless of the danger he believes awaits him, Keitaro hobbles to the kitchen supported by the pole. As he enters the dining room, he spots some plastic takeout trays. Drooling, he lifts the cover of one and peeks inside.

"Pork fried rice! That's my favorite!"

He heads into the kitchen and finds a large thermos on the counter. After filling it with tea from the refrigerator, he returns to the dining room. He takes two trays of fried rice and a small box with egg rolls and places them in his secret lair. He turns back to the common room and sneaks a throw pillow from the end of the couch. Once back in hiding, Keitaro has a meal and settles down for the night. His appetite sated, he quickly falls asleep.

The girls return from the hot spring and prepare to search the town for any sign of Keitaro. As they begin to place their coats on, Shinobu runs in from the dining room.

"Aaauuuuu! We've been robbed. There was a b-b-burglar in here!"

Motoko draws her sword and looks around.

"How dare some shameful, low-life, scoundrel come in our home? I will find this perpetrator and deal out final justice!"

Naru hugs Shinobu to stop her trembling.

"What did the prowler take from us, Shinobu-chan?"

"The, the new thermos I bought last week and some of the food Kitsune-san brought!"

Su leaps on the couch.

"That don't sound too bad! Maybe the criminal was just hungry. I hope that he didn't take all of it though."

Kitsune walks into the dining room. A few seconds later, she returns.

"Well, whoever it was just took the fried rice and some egg rolls. Other than the thermos, nothing seems out of place."

Shinobu wipes her tears.

"Aaauuuuu! I was hoping that we could give that to Sempai when we found him. It was his favorite."

Naru tilts her head.

"Why would a prowler leave the sukiyaki and just take some fried rice? It doesn't make sense. It seems like something that Keitaro would do."

They all look at each other for a few seconds. Motoko's eyes widen.

"Urashima! He must still be nearby! But, how can that be? I searched everywhere and found no trace of him!"

Naru looks a Motoko.

"Keitaro must be afraid of getting hurt again and is hiding from us. Let's look around again. Motoko, You take the first floor. Kitsune, you look around outside. Su-chan and Shinobu-chan can check the third floor and I'll look on the second."

Half an hour later, they all meet in the common room once more. Naru drops onto the couch.

"Wherever Keitaro is, he's found a good hiding spot. But, he has to come out to get food, so we can set a trap to catch him. Shinobu, make an extra large portion for his breakfast and leave it covered on the table. When he takes the bait, we can get him back."

Su leaps up onto Motoko's shoulders.

"I'll set up one of my small Mecha-Tama's to monitor the table. That way, we can catches him in the act. I'll program it to follow him so we can find his hidey-hole in case he's too sneaky!"

Kitsune places a pith helmet on her head and raises her fist.

"Alright! Tomorrow, let operation 'Catch Keitaro' commence!"

**End of Chapter One.**


	2. To Catch a Thief!

Love Hina – Defeated

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

**Chapter Two – To Catch a Thief!**

**Sunday Morning.**

After the sounds of morning breakfast and cleaning disappear, Keitaro peeks out from his hiding place. Seeing no one around, he supports himself with the stick from the brush and hobbles through the common room on his way to find something to eat. Carefully, he sneaks into the dining room and immediately spots a covered plate on the table. A smile forms on his lips.

"Shinobu-chan. Even when I'm not around, she still makes a plate for me."

He refills his thermos from the pitcher on the table and tucks it into his sling. He sees three rice cakes and puts them in his mouth. He lifts the covered plate and then stops as a small whirring sound catches his attention. Looking around, he spots a small Mecha-Tama on top of the china cabinet. Looking closer, he notices the video camera strapped onto its back.

"Oh heck!"

As he speaks, one of the rice cakes falls to the floor. Turning as quickly as he can, he moves through the door and makes his way back to the passage. Before entering, he looks over his shoulder. There is no sign of the mechanical turtle or anyone else, so he quietly crawls back into hiding.

Upstairs, the girls are gathered in Naru's room impatiently watching Su's portable monitor for any sign of their manager. Naru pats the side of the screen.

"Are you sure this thing is working, Su-chan? It's been half an hour and still nothing. Are we getting a live signal?"

Su moves a lever on her remote control and the scene pans back and forth.

"Yep, it's working okay! Just like it was five minutes ago when ya last asked."

Shinobu wrings her hands in anticipation.

"Aaauuuuu! Do you think that Sempai will take the bait? He did take two trays of food last night and he might not be hungry yet."

Kitsune pats her hand.

"Don't ya'll worry none. When has Keitaro-san ever missed breakfast? He'll be here, I guarantee it!"

Naru nods her head without taking her eyes from the screen.

"If there's anything that Keitaro can be counted on, it's keeping a promise and making it to breakfast."

Motoko clears her throat.

"Do not forget Urashima's uncanny aptitude for walking in on one of us at the most inopportune time."

They all nod there heads in agreement. Suddenly, Naru leans closer to the screen.

"The door's opening! It's Keitaro!"

They all watch quietly as the door opens a few inches and Keitaro peeks inside. After a few seconds, he enters the room. Naru places a hand to her lips.

"Oh my god."

In full color, they get their first glimpse of Keitaro's injuries. The first thing they notice is his blackened left eye, which is covered with a bandage. As he uses a stick and hobbles into view, they see the sling supporting his left arm and then a large, padded bandage wrapped around his right foot. He moves next to the table and they can see that he has many scratches on his face, neck, and arms. His half-shredded shirt hides them, but they are sure that he has numerous injuries underneath. Motoko leans away from the screen, breathing in short gasps.

"How can he still move with such atrocious injuries?"

The room falls silent as they continue watching Keitaro purloin another meal. He fills the thermos and then picks up the plate Shinobu prepared for him. He stops. They see him slowly turn and look around the room. After a few seconds, he looks up and spots the camera. His eye widens and a rice cake falls from his lips as he speaks. The girls go cold as they see a look of utter terror cross his face. As he turns and limps back through the door, Su presses a button on the remote control and the Mecha-Tama lifts off and flies towards him. They watch in shock as it lands on the floor. The camera is centered on the fallen rice cake and in the corner of the screen they can see Keitaro's feet as he exits the room. Kitsune grabs Su's shoulders and begins to shake the young genius.

"Why is that darned thing looking at that rice cake? Isn't it supposed to be following Keitaro-san?"

"The tracking chip is in the rice cake! Hows was I supposed to know that Keitaro would drop it?"

Naru stands up and dashes for the door.

"We've got to catch him before he can hide again!"

The girls pile into one another in their rush to get through the door. It takes precious seconds to extricate themselves and run downstairs. They split up and quickly search the first floor, but no trace of Keitaro can be found. As they regroup in the common room, Naru calls out to him.

"Keitaro, where are you?"

Kitsune yells for him also.

"Come on out Keitaro-san! We're waitin' for ya'll!"

Su, holding the fallen rice cake, jumps on the back of the couch.

"Ya know that we'll find ya sooner or later Keitaro! So ya shoulds just give up now!"

Shinobu drops to her knees.

"Sempai! Aaauuuuu!"

Motoko spins around, her eyes almost wild.

"Urashima!"

Keitaro cowers in the dim passage as he hears them searching.

"Oh god, it was a trap! I'm lucky I was able to get away."

"Mew!"

He freezes for a few moments and then slowly looks to the right. Tama-chan sits on the lip of the ledge next to him and raises a flipper. Keitaro raises a finger to his lips.

"Shhh, be quiet, Tama-chan."

"Mew?"

Frantic, Keitaro looks around. He picks up one of the rice cakes and holds it out to the little turtle.

"If you promise to be quiet and not let the girls know where I am, I'll give this to you. Is it a deal?"

She looks down at him and then nods her head. Gliding down next to him, she nuzzles against his leg and then looks up expectantly. Keitaro hands her the rice cake.

"That's a good girl! I'm sorry, but I can't play right now, I kind of have a big problem."

Tama-chan looks up at him for a moment. She waddles towards his right foot and gently taps it with her flipper and turns back to face him.

"Mew?"

"You know, it doesn't hurt much today. I guess its already starting to get better."

The turtle smiles at him and then takes the rice cake. She flies back down the passage and out of sight. Keitaro wipes a hand across his forehead.

"That was close. It's good to know that Tama-chan can be bribed so easily."

He pulls the thermos from the sling and takes a few sips of tea. After waiting for the commotion in the common room to die down, he quietly has breakfast.

**Sunday Noon.**

A little while later, the girls sit around the dining room table. Naru rolls an empty glass back and forth.

"Where could he have gone so quickly? There's no way that he should have been able to get away from us."

Shinobu hugs the pitcher that Keitaro used to refill his thermos.

"Do, do you think that we can catch Sempai when he comes for lunch?"

Kitsune shakes her head.

"He's on to us now. If some certain crackpot from Molmol, who shall remain nameless, hadn't screwed up, we would have had him by now."

Everyone turns and looks at Su.

"It aint my fault that he dropped the tracker!"

Motoko taps a finger on the table.

"Would it have not made more sense to place it somewhere on his plate?"

Su shakes her head.

"Nope! The tracker don't work if it gets wet. If I had put it in the food on his plate, it woulda gotten soggy! I had to make sure that it stayed dry."

Naru stops rolling the glass and places it upright.

"Why couldn't you tape it on the bottom of the plate?"

Su stares at her for a few seconds and then pulls out a notepad and pencil.

"Note to self: You can tape things on the bottom of plates."

As they sit staring at the table, Tama-chan flies in the window and lands between them.

"Mew!"

Naru looks over at her.

"Oh, hello Tama-chan. Are you looking for Keitaro so he can feed you? I'm sorry, but he's not here."

She takes the rice cake from Su and holds it in front of the turtle.

"Here you go. It's your favorite snack."

Tama-chan sniffs it and then shakes her head.

"What's wrong? Aren't you hungry today?"

The turtle shakes her head again.

"Mew!"

Naru looks closer at the turtle and wipes a crumb from the corner of Tama-chan's mouth.

"It looks like you've already been fed. I'll just leave this on the table where you can find it later."

Su jumps over and grabs the turtle.

"She already ate? What luck! Pre-stuffed turtle! I'm gonna be eating good today, Tama-chan!"

Shinobu tries to stop Su from lowering the quickly tied turtle into a stewpot. Naru looks from the crumb on her fingertip to the rice cake and back. Shinobu turns and looks at her for help.

"Naru-sempai! Aaauuuuu, she's trying to eat Tama-chan again!"

Naru looks up and stares at the turtle.

"Shinobu-chan, step back please."

"Wh-why Naru-sempai? Don't you see what Su-chan is trying to do?"

Naru holds up the rice cake. Tama-chan is just inches away from the boiling water.

"Tama-chan, you know where Keitaro is, don't you?"

The turtle shakes her head.

"Mew."

Naru moves her eyes to Su.

"Bon-appetite, Su-chan."

Su's mouth begins to water.

"Hurray! Victory is being mine!"

"Mew!"

Naru turns her back to the turtle.

"If you have nothing to tell us, then I guess your usefulness is at an end."

"Mew! Mew! Mew! Mew! Meeeeeeew!"

Naru spins around and slams her hands on the table as she brings her face within inches of the turtle's."

"Do you have something that you want to tell us?"

Tama-chan nods her head.

"Mew!"

"About where Keitaro is?"

"Mew! Mew!"

She grabs the turtle and quickly unties it.

"Sorry Su-chan, but this addition to your stew has a job to do. But I want her to know that if she doesn't lead us to Keitaro, back in the pot she goes!"

Tama-chan takes off and hovers near the door. They open it and follow her into the common room. She lands near a panel and taps it with her flipper. Naru crosses her arms and stares at her.

"Yes, that's a nice painting, but where is Keitaro?"

She taps the panel again. Su walks over and crouches next to it.

"Ya mean the secret passage behind the panel, Tama-chan?"

Kitsune looks at her.

"What do ya'll mean about a secret passage?"

Su nods her head.

"Yep, there's a bunch all through Hinata-sou! But, Keitaro aint in there."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"Because, Motoko-chan said that she looked everywhere on the first floor."

Motoko points at the panel.

"But, I did not know that there is a secret passage located behind that panel!"

Shinobu moves over and slides the panel aside. Looking in the opening, she spots Keitaro huddled far back in the darkness.

"Aaauuuuu! Sempai!"

The other girls push against her and look into the passage. Keitaro grabs his stick and slaps it on the floor.

"Stay away from me! Please don't hurt me anymore!"

Naru enters the passage and crawls towards the manager. Keitaro drops the stick, unwilling to raise a weapon to any of them, regardless of what they have done to him.

"N-n-narusegawa, go away!"

She reaches him and gently places her hand on his shoulder.

"Keitaro, please come out of here. We aren't going to hurt you."

He shivers and tries to press against the wall.

"I know what you all planned! Your gonna kill me!"

Naru smiles sadly at him.

"Of course we aren't going to kill you! Think about it, you silly goose! What would happen to us without a manager?"

Keitaro turns and points a finger at her.

"Oh no! I'm not that stupid! You aren't gonna trick me with that 'we need a manager' line again!"

Motoko calls to him as she crawls into the passage.

"Urashima, I am sorry! What I did to you is unforgivable. But forget that for now and let us get you to a physician!"

He raises the stick above his head and flings it up the passage, Naru nimbly ducks as whizzes past her.

"Keitaro, don't get too excited! We need to get you to Hikari-sensei!"

He thinks for a moment and crafts a brilliant, at least in his mind, plan to distract them. He points up the passage again.

"Look! A twenty-meter firefly squid!"

Without waiting to see if they fell for his trick, Keitaro turns and pulls himself up the ledge. Straining, he drags his body until his stomach slides up and over the edge. Pausing to catch his breath, he looks up. Su sits in front of him touches his forehead with her finger.

"Tags! You're hide-and-sneaky game was fun, Keitaro!"

He screams and loses his precarious grip. Falling backwards, he crashes to the floor. When he opens his eye he sees Naru and Motoko leaning over him. He weakly tries to push them away with his good hand.

"Why are you trying to kill me?"

Motoko shakes her head.

"Think, Urashima. If it were truly our intention to end your existence, you would already be deceased at this point, would you not?"

"Uh, well, maybe . . ."

"Also, if we wished to injure you further, we would not be speaking with you, would we?"

"That's true, but I'm not . . ."

The swordmaster, realizing that she is in danger of falling into the trap of arguing with the dense manager, sighs and changes her tactics.

"Urashima, I shall put this a bluntly as possible. If you do not come out of here this instant, not even Ishido-sensei with be able to re-attach that which I shall sever from your body."

"I surrender!"

The two young women gently help him up the passage and into the common room. Kitsune stands aside as they exit his hiding place.

"Keitaro, ya'll look like heck."

She stands up and heads to the telephone.

"I'll call Hikari-san! He needs fixing up bad!"

A few minutes later, Haruka enters the inn closely followed by Hikari. Keitaro smiles as the two women walk into the common room.

"Haruka-san, Hikari-san, I thought they were going kill me!"

JHaruka tilts her head.

"Again?"

Hikari gently props his right leg on a footstool and begins to remove the bandages. Haruka sits next to him and pats his head.

"You look pretty busted up. How are you feeling?"

"You know me, I heal pretty fast. The pain is just about gone now."

Hikari looks up at him.

"I am going to move your foot. Tell me to stop at any time if you feel discomfort."

The doctor lifts Keitaro's twisted foot and tries to move it back into its proper position. Keitaro calmly watches her, no sign of any pain on his face. She uses a little more force, but the foot will not budge. She shakes her head.

"You ability to quickly heal seems to have worked against you this time. The bones have already begun to knit in this position. I am afraid that we may have to re-break it to set it properly, or perform surgery to repair the damage. How does your arm feel?"

Hikari carefully removes his sling and tries to extend his arm. As with his foot, the elbow seems locked in place.

"We should bring you to the hospital for some scans. That will allow me to know the best way to repair your injuries."

"I don't know. I really don't like hospitals."

Hikari smiles at him.

"I will personally make sure that you are comfortable."

Naru stares at him.

"He's acting like such a child. Maybe you should offer him a lollipop."

Keitaro shakes his head.

"I am not a little kid, so don't treat me like one."

Hikari reaches into her bag and pulls out four different candy pops. She smiles as she waves them in front of him.

"What flavor do your prefer, Kei-kun?"

Keitaro sighs.

"Okay, I surrender. Can I have, uh, the strawberry one?"

**Sunday Evening.**

It has been hours since they arrived at the hospital. The girls sit in the waiting room, occasionally spotting Hikari as she moves from an office and back to the labs. The see Keitaro wheeled into the scanning room on three separate occasions while they wait. Eventually, Hikari looks over at them and motions them into an office. When they are all settled, she looks up from the data collected on Keitaro.

"I will come directly to the point. His right foot and left elbow have indeed knitted in the wrong position. I have sent the scans to a hospital in America so that an expert could review them. She contacted me with her results and recommendations. We can repair his foot, though he may have a slight limp for quite some time. A second operation after a few months may correct it fully."

She looks at the girls.

"His left elbow is a more difficult matter. The bone has fused like the foot. We can repair the damage and restore complete function of the joint, but. . ."

Naru leans closer to her.

"But what?"

"The nerve that controls his left hand runs through the area of new bone. There is a small probability that he will lose the use of his hand if we repair his elbow. I am hopeful, however, for a successful procedure. Keitaro-san has requested that we perform the procedure on his foot first thing in the morning. He wishes to have more time to decide if he is willing to risk surgery to repair his elbow."

Haruka stands up and rests her palms on the desk.

"There's something else, isn't there Hikari-san?"

The doctor nods her head.

"I have already informed Keitaro-san of this. The damage to his left eye is irreversible. He may never be able to see out of that eye again."

**End of Chapter Two.**


	3. Rest

Love Hina – Defeated

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

**Chapter Three – Rest**

**Sunday Night.**

Quietly and in a somber mood, the girls all file into Keitaro's hospital room. Hikari closes the door behind them and stands to the side. Naru, Kitsune, Haruka, and Shinobu gather at the foot of his bed. Su hops over and looks out the window. Motoko quietly moves to the corner. Keitaro, sitting up in the bed with a bowl of fruit in his lap, smiles and waves to them.

"I'm sorry that those tests took so long. Hikari-san said that all of you were kind of impatient having to wait."

Haruka walks over and stands next to his bed.

"Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

His aunt shakes her head.

"Well, Hikari-san didn't exactly write you a clean bill of health."

He gently pats her hand.

"Hey, I'm alive! Considering that I thought they all were planning to kill me, I think things turned out pretty good!"

Naru stands next to Haruka so that Keitaro won't have to turn his head to see her.

"Keitaro, the doctor did tell you, about, uh, everything didn't she?"

Keitaro's right eye goes wide and he looks up at Hikari.

"Oh no! I really am gonna die! You found something else that you were afraid to tell me!"

Hikari holds up her palms.

"No, you are not going to die! I have told you everything. Other than the broken bones and your eye, you are in relatively good physical condition."

He leans back on his pillows.

"Thank goodness! Don't scare me like that Narusegawa!"

As he looks down and searches through the bowl of fruit, Shinobu moves over and touches his arm.

"S-sempai, is there a-anything you need?"

He looks at her and smiles.

"Thank you, Shinobu-chan. I'll be out of here tomorrow, so you don't need to trouble yourself. I'll be home for supper, I guarantee it!"

Kitsune sits on the end of his bed.

"Are ya sure that there isn't anything we can do for ya'll?"

"No, no I'm fine."

He finds what he is searching for and tosses a banana to Su. She catches it and hops over to kiss his cheek.

"You're wonderful, Keitaro!"

Naru smiles and rubs a hand on his chest.

"It's amazing how well you're taking all of this, Keitaro. I don't know what I'd do if it had happened to me."

She leans closer and whispers to him.

"Can you say something to cheer up Motoko-chan? She's really feeling bad about all of this."

Suddenly, the smile fades from his lips and he pushes her away.

"You expect me to even want to talk to Motoko-chan after what she did to me? I tried to talk to her before she attacked me, but she didn't want to listen! She looked really upset and I just wanted to help her!"

Keitaro pounds his right fist on the blankets.

"I may be just a stupid ronin, but that doesn't mean that I have to act nice to someone that tried to kill me just because she lost some stupid kendo tournament! She's always more concerned about her pride, and it's always her this and her that! She has no concern for anyone else. I don't know what it means to be a sword master from Shinmei-ryu, but I don't think it gives someone the right to believe that they're superior to the rest of us! She is supposed to fight evil spirits or something, but all she ever does is use me as a practice target! Regardless of anything that I've ever done, she got more than enough payback when she, she. . ."

He raises his right hand and touches the bandage over his left eye.

"I'm sorry, but this is a lot to take in right now."

The room falls silent at his rampage. Motoko lowers her eyes and bows her head. Quietly, she opens the door and leaves. Torn between Keitaro and Motoko's pain, and stunned by his rage, Shinobu wrings her hands.

"Aaauuuuu, Sempai."

They stand quietly in the room for long minutes. Keitaro, his rage spent, leans back on his pillows, no longer desiring to talk to anyone. Hikari finally motions for them to leave so that Keitaro can rest. They look for Motoko, but the sword master is not in the waiting room. Naru and Kitsune walk quickly to the entrance but she has already left. When Haruka, Shinobu, and Su join them, they hail a cab and hurry back to Hinata-sou.

Naru runs upstairs to check Motoko's room, but she is not there. Back in the common room, she sits on the couch.

"Motoko-chan isn't here. I've no idea where she might have gone and I wouldn't know where to look first."

Su climbs on back of the couch and lays there like a kitten.

"Now Motoko's run'd away like Keitaro."

Kitsune lifts a small glass of sake and takes a sip.

"Poor Keitaro-san. He was trying to be brave for all of us, but I guess this is too much for him. I've never heard him get so angry. Heck, I've never seen him really get angry at all before."

They sit quietly for about an hour. As Shinobu stands to head to her room, the front door slides open and she runs to see who it is.

"Motoko-sempai! You didn't run away!"

She looks at the young cook as the others run to the foyer.

"Run away? Why do you think I would do such a thing?"

Naru stops next to her and takes her coat.

"We thought you went somewhere."

Motoko lowers her head and blushes.

"We were in such a hurry tonight that I forgot my change purse. When I arrived at the train station, I did not have money for the fare. I had to walk home."

They stare at her for a few seconds. Su drops to her knees and covers her mouth to try to hide her laughter.

"Motoko, ya is almost as silly as Keitaro!"

At the mention of his name, Motoko lowers her gaze and runs up to her room. Su sheepishly sits on the floor and watches her run up the stairs.

"I guess I shouldn't have said that."

While sitting on the edge of his bed at the hospital, Keitaro turns and looks out the window.

"Maybe, maybe it wouldn't have hurt to at least say hi to Motoko-chan when she was here. I don't know why it is, but I can't stay mad at any of them for very long. It's not like they really treat me like a friend, but at least they seem to accept me at Hinata-sou."

He adjusts his pillow and lies down.

"Why did I get so mad when Naru mentioned Motoko-chan? I wasn't planning on it. I was really hoping to be able to talk to her about what happened."

Reaching up, he touches the bandage on his eye again.

"I just can't believe that there isn't anything that they can do about my eye. There has to be something that will work, it can't be that bad."

Keitaro opens the drawer in the nightstand next to his bed and pulls out a small mirror. After hesitating for almost a minute, he places the mirror back in its drawer.

"Nope, I don't want to see it yet. It really might be as bad as Hikari-san says."

He looks on the nightstand and picks up the sleeping pill that the nurse left for him. He washes it down with some orange juice and then lies back against the pillow. Tired from all the tests and activities of the day, Keitaro quickly falls asleep. He soon begins to dream, and the hot spring slowly forms around him.

"This place looks like it hasn't been cleaned in weeks! I'd better start working or the girls are gonna get really mad."

He grabs a brush from the storage shed and begins pushing it along the rocks. After a few minutes, the sound of the changing room door opening causes him to look up.

"I'll have the hot spring cleaned in a few more minutes! Sorry about letting it get so . . . who are you?"

A beautiful woman wearing a pink towel stands near the door and looks at him.

"What are you doing here, sir?"

"I'm the manager. It's my job to take care of everything."

The woman tilts her head and gives him an odd look.

"We don't have a manager. The last one had to leave ten years ago and we live here by ourselves now."

Keitaro shakes his head.

"That's not right! I'm Urashima Keitaro and I've been the manager since my grandmother left."

The woman raises a hand to her mouth.

"Ura-urashima Keitaro? That cannot be true! Aaauuuuu!"

His eyes go wide as he hears the woman cry out.

"Sh-shinobu-chan?"

"S-sempai?"

The sound of Shinobu's cry brings others from inside the inn. Keitaro stares as more towel-clad women walk out the door. The first, a gorgeous, tanned woman with long blond hair, places her hand on Shinobu's shoulder.

"Who ya calling Sempai? I haven't heard ya say that for almost ten years."

Keitaro's eyes almost pop out of his head.

"Su-chan! Is that you?"

She looks at him.

"Keitaro? How come ya is here?"

"Huh?"

The second woman, her light brown hair cut short, looks at him with her almost closed eyes.

"Keitaro-san! Ya'll are a sight for sore eyes. What'cha been doing?"

Before he can respond, the next woman jumps out from behind Kitsune. Her long brown hair flows like silk as she moves.

"Is that you Keitaro? Why did you come back?"

"N-n-narusegawa? What's going on? How come all of you are, are older?"

She looks at him strangely.

"Well, it has been ten years. Did you think we'd all stay just as we were?"

Keitaro shakes his head.

"Something must have gone wrong when they operated on me. The last thing I remember is going to sleep at the hospital. Was I in a coma for ten years?"

He quickly checks himself.

"Hey, my arm and leg are okay! And my left eye isn't blind! I knew that Hikari-san could fix me up!"

A woman's voice speaks from behind him, startling Keitaro.

"That is not correct, Urashima. Your injuries were too severe and surgery failed to repair the damage."

"Motoko-chan?"

He turns around and freezes at the sight he beholds. The swordmaster, her head bowed, stands before him leaning upon a staff clutched in her right hand. Her shiny black hair is cut so short that it barely touches her collar. Her left arm is in front of her, the elbow bent and frozen in position. As she limps towards him, her right foot drags along the ground, bent at an unusable angle.

"Motoko-chan, what happened to you?"

Her head remains bowed as she nears him.

"This is my punishment for what I did to you. I damaged myself to match your condition to attone for my crime."

Motoko struggles towards him with her staff. Each step that she takes causes his own body to match her crippled state. First, his right foot fails and he falls to the ground. On her next step, his left arm withers and locks into a bent position. He looks up at her and pleads.

"Motoko-chan! Stay away from me, please! Look what you're doing to me!"

"I cannot. Forgive me, Urashima."

She takes a final step towards him and raises her head. A single tear falls from her right eye. She blinks sadly and Keitaro screams when he sees the scarred white orb that marks the remains of her left eye.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

The other girls appear behind Motoko and look down at him without pity. Naru shakes her head.

"We don't need a crippled man as our manager."

Su crosses her arms and turns her back on him.

"Ya aint any fun to play with anymore. Why don't you go away?"

Kitsune pours a glass of sake and raises it to him.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted. Too bad ya'll aren't a whole man anymore."

Shinobu walks next to Motoko and roughly pushes her into the hot spring. The sword master sinks to the bottom of the pool, unable to rescue herself.

"Aaauuuuu! You have to save her, Sempai!"

Keitaro, unable to crawl because of the injuries, stares at the water with his one good eye as Motoko's hand slips out of sight. He breathes in short gasps and turns to Naru.

"I can't save her! Can't you see that? Please, help me Narusegawa!"

Naru walks over and kicks him brutally in the ribs.

"What kind of manager are you if you can't even save her? You shouldn't have come back to us."

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Keitaro sits up quickly, panting as sweat drips from his brow. He looks around, seeing the pastel walls of his hospital room as morning starts to dawn outside. He falls back onto the pillow as he realizes it was just a nightmare.

"I knew I shouldn't have drunk that orange juice before going to sleep. It always gives me weird dreams."

**Monday Noon.**

All of the girls except Motoko are in the waiting room of the hospital. Keitaro was moved to the recovery room a few minutes ago and they wait for Hikari to bring them word on the operation. As she walks into the room, they all stand and look at her hopefully. She takes a sip of coffee from her cup and smiles at them.

"The surgery went much better than we hoped. By all indications, a second operation should not be necessary."

Shinobu bursts into tears and hugs Naru. Su leaps for Motoko's shoulders, but falls to the floor since the swordmaster is not there. She jumps back up and rubs her behind.

"My bad! I forgot that Motoko didn't come with us."

As Su does cartwheels around the room, Kitsune jogs over and hugs the doctor.

"Thanks, Doc! We knew that you'd take good care of Keitaro-san!"

Haruka reaches out and shakes her hand.

"Hikari-san, if there is ever anything you need, you know that you can count on us. We are deeply in your debt."

She shakes her head and smiles.

"There is no need to thank me so abundantly. It was extraordinary. I could almost see his body's amazing ability to heal itself as we were operating. He will not even have a scar by the looks of things. And to answer your question before you ask, he will be ready for you to take him home as soon as the cast on his leg sets."

Hikari looks down and shuffles her feet.

"I wouldn't mind, though, if you were to invite me to use the hot spring, occasionally."

Haruka rests her hand on her shoulder.

"You're welcome anytime. But, I'd better warn you, Keitaro will find some way to make it outside the first time you go there. It's fate!"

Naru, still holding Shinobu, looks at the doctor.

"Motoko-chan will be relieved that Keitaro will be able to walk normally. But she's feeling really lousy right now. We made her promise to wait at the inn since she wouldn't come with us today. She took Keitaro's outburst last night really hard."

Hikari smiles at Naru.

"If I were a psychologist, I would write a series of books dealing with the residents of Hinata-sou. I could be wealthy overnight."

Naru, sensing that Hikari is just being good-natured, smiles back at her.

"Are you saying that we're all crazy?"

"Not at all. But, you have to admit that your lives have become rather interesting since Keitaro-san arrived."

Kitsune nods her head.

"Ya got that right! Ya'll never know when Keitaro-san will trip up and strip one of us!"

Hikari gives them some instructions and tells them that a nurse has been assigned to help look after Keitaro. As she completes her instructions, a nurse wearing a candy-striped dress pushes Keitaro into the room. She parks the wheelchair and looks at the girls,

"Oh my! This is so sweet that all of you are here for Kei-kun!"

Naru stares at the nurse.

"Otohime-san! What are you doing here?"

Mutsumi places a hand to her cheek.

"Oh my! After I was fired from my last position, Ishido-sensei suggested that I apply for a job here. It's really fun, but they won't let me bring my watermelons here. Plus, I get all the oxygen I need whenever I feel faint!"

Keitaro scratches his head.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Mutsumi-san was assigned as my nurse. It was a bit of a shock when I first saw her."

She leans over and hugs Keitaro around the neck.

"Kei-kun has been such a wonderful patient! But, he did give me some trouble this morning when I gave him a sponge-bath!"

Kitsune crosses her arms and smiles at Keitaro, whose face is blushing bright red.

"Oh really? Do tell, and don't ya'll leave out any details!"

Mutsumi claps her hands.

"Oh my! It was so hard, and it was really long! I almost passed out from the exertion!"

Naru, her eye twitching, reaches over and latches onto Keitaro's shoulder.

"Oh, so that is why you look so happy today!"

Keitaro cringes as Naru's fingers dig into his shoulder.

"Narusegawa! It isn't what you think! Mutsumi-san, tell her that nothing happened!"

Naru looks up and waits for the melon girl to continue.

"Well, this was my first time to give someone a sponge-bath. It was really hard. I had to keep running down the hall to the sink to wet my sponge. That's why it took so long. I must have run a mile just to keep the sponge wet! I was really tired by the time I was finished!"

Keitaro relaxes as Naru releases him. He rubs his shoulder and smiles.

"Mutsumi-san lost her wash bucket."

Su jumps over and pokes at the cast on Keitaro's leg.

"So, are we gonna give Keitaro sponge-baths too? That sounds like it'll be fun! But, where will we get a tub full of sponges?"

Kitsune leans over and whispers in Keitaro's ear.

"I know a great way to make a lot of soap bubbles!"

He grabs his nose and stares at the fox.

"K-k-kitsune-san!"

Shinobu's eyes glisten and a smile spreads across her face.

"Give Sempai a sponge-bath! Aaauuuuu! I can hardly wait!"

Keitaro's head drops forward.

"Oh god, I just know something bad is going to happen."

**End of Chapter Three.**


	4. Recuperation

Love Hina – Defeated

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

**Chapter Four – Recuperation**

**Monday Afternoon.**

After leaving the hospital, they help Keitaro into the taxi and head for Hinata-sou. At the bottom of the steps, they exit the cab and see Haruka and Motoko waiting for them. As Keitaro uses a cane to move forward, Motoko surprises him by turning away and kneeling.

"Urashima, if you do not mind, I shall carry you up the steps."

It is quiet as the other girls look at Keitaro, not knowing what he will do. Motoko bows her head and whispers.

"Please Urashima, allow me to help you."

Keitaro sighs and hands the cane to Haruka after he steps behind Motoko and allows her to place her hands under his knees. He rests his right arm over her shoulder, but Motoko hesitates.

"Urashima, if you are able, please use your other arm. I do not want to risk your falling."

He slips his left arm and sling in front of her. She stands up and adjusts his position before proceeding. Because he cannot extend his left arm his hand presses against her chest. Keitaro begins to struggle as she starts to walk up the steps.

"Motoko-chan, I think this isn't really such a good idea. I, I can't move my left hand from, from your. . ."

"Do not be alarmed. I shall tolerate the, distraction long enough to bring you home."

About halfway up the steps, Motoko stops and lowers her eyes. She turns her head to the left and looks at him.

"I would appreciate it if you would stop, squeezing me Urashima."

He blushes and averts his gaze.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not doing it on purpose, really! It just happens when we bounce!"

Mutsumi catches up and looks at them.

"Oh my! That looks like fun! Can I carry Kei-kun piggyback next time?"

Motoko continues up the steps, muttering as Keitaro's hand bounces on her chest.

"You are most welcome to carry him the next time. I do not want to go through this humiliation again."

They eventually reach the inn and help Keitaro up to his room. Haruka asks the girls to leave so that she can talk to her nephew.

"Keitaro, you know that you can talk to me. How are you really feeling?"

Keitaro stares at Haruka with one eye.

"Oh, I see. You think that I'm just putting up a brave front. You think that I have some serious psychological issues that are buried just below the surface."

In the silence, she hears his stomach growling. He blushes and rubs his head.

"Actually, I'm just kinda hungry."

Haruka looks at him for long moments before smiling.

"I should have known. You're always more concerned with things that are more immediate. I'll go down and tell Shinobu to hurry with dinner."

He makes a small motion with his hand causing his aunt to sit once more. She looks at Keitaro and waits for him to speak.

"Haruka-san, I know that Motoko-chan probably didn't want to hurt me like this, and maybe it was partly my fault."

"How in the world was it your fault? You said that you just tried to talk to her after she lost her match."

"Maybe I should have waited a while before talking to her."

She adjusts her cigarette holder and shakes her head.

"You just did what you thought was best."

He smiles at her.

"I think that it's best if I just forgive and forget."

Haruka places a hand on his shoulder.

"That's very generous of you."

"Not really. If I get her mad again, there's no telling what she'll do to me next."

"Self-preservation by way of compassion, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm a real coward. Haruka-san, can you keep a secret for me?"

"Sure, as long as it isn't something illegal."

He removes he arm from the sling and stretches it out, wriggling his fingers as he flexes his elbow. Haruka stares at him.

"I, I thought your arm was still, how, when did Hikari-san fix it?"

Keitaro smiles at her.

"Actually, it was Mutsumi-san."

"How did Otohime-chan fix your elbow?"

He scratches his head and looks out the window.

"Well, this morning, before Hikari-san worked on my foot, Mutsumi-san came in my room to give me a sponge bath."

Haruka nods her head.

"We heard about that. I take it that you didn't tell the whole story."

"Well, when she came in carrying her sponge and towel, I knew what was gonna happen. I tried to hop to the door, but she grabbed my left arm."

"Don't tell me that she pulled it so hard that it re-broke the elbow and fixed it?"

Keitaro absentmindedly rubs his elbow as he continues.

"Sort of. After she grabbed it, Mutsumi-san slipped on her towel. When she fell, she didn't let go. The elbow snapped and, well, you see. I think my scream woke every patient in the hospital though."

Haruka tilts her head.

"Why would you want to keep that a secret? The girls, and especially Motoko-san, will be overjoyed to hear about it."

Keitaro looks to the door and window, and then turns back to his aunt.

"I'm kind of hoping that they won't attack someone they think is crippled. I need time to think about what to do."

Haruka leans her forearms on the table.

"Why don't I like the sound of that? You're not thinking of leaving, are you?"

Keitaro nods his head. Both of his hands begin to shake as they rest on the table.

"I've been fairly lucky, at least up until now. I'm afraid that the next time, the next time Motoko-chan may actually kill me."

Haruka looks at him for a few moments before nodding her head.

"I'll support whatever decision you make. But, it'll be a shame to lose a good manager like you."

Keitaro continues to keep his left arm in its sling and over the next few days. Even when he makes a mistake that would earn him punishment from Naru or Motoko, they hold back and let him be. Su makes a plastic bubble for his cast and they allow him to spend some time each evening in the hot spring alone, knowing the benefits of soaking in the warm waters. This continues for another day until Keitaro, his conscious getting the better of him, decides to admit his deception.

**Thursday Evening.**

In the common room, as Su prepares to slide the bubble on Keitaro's cast, he holds out a hand to stop her.

"Wait a minute, Su-chan."

He looks at the other girls and tries to smile.

"There's something that I have to talk to all of you about. Two things, actually."

Naru sits next to him on the couch.

"What is it, Keitaro?"

He slides his arm out of the sling, reaches to the table, and picks up a glass of tea. The girls just stare at him as he slowly sips the liquid. He sets the glass down.

"I'm sorry, I've been lying about my elbow. Not even Hikari-sensei knows that it's okay. There was an accident when Otohime-san tried to give me a sponge bath and, well, you see. I feel guilty about using it as an excuse not to, to be attacked again. I'm sorry."

Naru gently lifts his arm.

"Keitaro! That's wonderful! I'm so happy for you! We were all so worried!"

Motoko sits silently in her chair as Kitsune jumps up and raises her glass of sake.

"Ya'll didn't have to worry about anything! We all agreed to stop pestering you for being clumsy!"

Shinobu wipes a tear from her eye.

"Sempai! This is really good news!"

Mutsumi places her hand to her cheek.

"Oh my! I was afraid that I had made your arm even worse, Kei-kun. This is fantastic!"

Su jumps on the back of the couch.

"Ya didn't haves to keep it a secret, Keitaro!"

Keitaro looks over at Motoko.

"Motoko-chan, I'm sorry."

She quickly shakes her head.

"Do not apologize, Urashima. It is not necessary. I am happy for you. For myself, it is one less burden upon my soul."

Naru continues rubbing his left arm.

"You said that you had two things to tell us. What else is there?"

Keitaro looks from one girl to the next. He takes a deep breath and stands up.

"I'm leaving Hinata-sou. I, I don't want to be the manager anymore. I'm sorry."

The common room is silent as he picks up his cane and makes his way up the stairs.

**Friday Morning.**

Keitaro sits in his room, afraid to go down to breakfast where he will have to face the others. He feels like he is letting them down, even though he knows it is for the best. A knock at his door causes him to jump.

"Uh, come in."

Shinobu slides the door open and pokes her head inside.

"Sempai, breakfast is ready. We're all waiting for you. But, you don't have to hurry! Anytime you feel like joining us is okay! Aaauuuuu!"

"Thank you Shinobu-chan, but I'm not very hungry this morning."

"Sempai . . ."

Tears start to form in Shinobu's eyes. Keitaro, unable to bear making her sad, grabs his cane.

"I guess I should at least have something to drink. And maybe a slice of toast with my milk wouldn't be too bad."

The young cook walks next to Keitaro, supporting him as they make their way down the stairs. As they enter the dining room, the other girls stand up.

"Good morning!"

Keitaro stutters out a greeting as Shinobu leads him to his seat.

"Uh, good morning everyone."

Kitsune picks up his glass.

"Would ya'll like some tea or milk?

"Milk would be fine, thank you Kitsune-san."

Naru grabs his plate.

"Some pancakes for your breakfast, Keitaro?"

He shakes his head.

"No, just some toast please."

She butters two slices and sets the plate in front of the manager. Su peels a banana and places it next to the toast.

"Don't forget your fruit! Bananas is good for ya!"

"Thank you, Su-chan."

Haruka enters from the kitchen holding a cup of coffee. She sits at the end of the table closest to Keitaro.

"They told me that you made your decision last night. You're sure about this?"

Keitaro shakes his head.

"I don't feel good about it, but I don't plan on changing my mind."

Shinobu drops the tray she was carrying.

"Aaauuuuu! I'm so sorry!"

Keitaro starts to get up to help her, but a firm hand gently pushes him back into his chair. He turns his head and sees Motoko standing behind him.

"Motoko-chan?"

"Your leg still has not healed completely. You must not exert yourself needlessly, Urashima."

Keitaro looks over at Haruka.

"I've given some thought to a replacement as the manager. A female would seem to be the best choice."

Haruka sips her coffee.

"Do you have someone in mind?"

He nods his head.

"Yes. I think that we should ask Kanako-chan if she'll take the job."

Naru waves to get his attention.

"Who is this Kanako?"

Keitaro looks at her.

"Urashima Kanako. She's my sister."

The girls look at each other.

"His sister?"

**End of Chapter Four.**


	5. Manager No More

Love Hina – Defeated

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

Chapter Five – Manager No More

**Saturday Noon.**

Keitaro spends the morning packing his few belongings. For most of the time, the girls stand in the hallway, occasionally peeking in his door. Naru motions to them and they make their way to the dining room. As Shinobu pours some tea, Kitsune looks at Naru.

"Ya'll looked kinda serious up there. What is it you want to talk about?"

Naru looks to make sure that the door is closed before speaking.

"I have an idea that may keep Keitaro here."

"Well, let it out already!"

Su jumps up on the table.

"What'cha got in mind?"

Naru looks at them one at a time.

"It will be kind of tricky, but we need to make Keitaro believe that we all are in love with him. He's such a softy that he will never be able to leave!"

Kitsune rubs her chin.

"That's a tall order, but I'm game!"

Su does a back flip.

"Yay! This'll be fun! And ya don't haves to ask me twice!"

Shinobu stares at her glass of tea.

"In love with Sempai? Aaauuuuu! What will I wear?"

They all turn and look at the sword master. She lifts her head and quickly looks from one girl to the next.

"Th-that is the most outrageous plan that I have ever heard! How do you expect me to act like I, like I have any feelings for that immoral, deceiving, perverted, vile male?"

Naru slaps the table.

"You're the one that needs to make him believe it the most! If it wasn't for you, Keitaro wouldn't be, he wouldn't be leaving us!"

Motoko shakes her head.

"Naru-sempai, I cannot admit to feelings for Urashima. I will not be a part of it."

Naru sits back in her chair.

"I don't want to force you to do something that you don't want to do. But, you have to promise that you won't mess it up for the rest of us. Do you really want Keitaro to leave?"

Motoko shakes her head again.

"I have come to tolerate his presence. Moreover, he has proven quite adept at maintaining the facilities. I will refrain from interfering with your plans as much as I am able."

Naru nods her head, satisfied with the compromise.

"Okay! Here is what we need to do!"

"You needn't bother. I heard your plan."

They all turn to the door. Keitaro, supported by his cane, stands there. He smiles as he walks into the room.

"I appreciate that you all want to keep me here, I really do. But, I'm not leaving Hinata-sou because I think you all hate me."

He stands behind a chair on the far end of the table from Motoko.

"I'm just scared. Normally, I'd be okay really quick after one of your or Motoko-chan's attacks. Lately, it's taken longer for me to recover. This time, well, I think that whatever kind of luck has been with me has run out. I'm afraid of what might happen next time."

He pats Shinobu's hand as she reaches out to him.

"I don't hate any of you. I've had a lot of good times here that I will always remember. And I don't regret being your manager."

Motoko looks at the table.

"Do you truly believe that I would kill you, Urashima?"

Keitaro hesitates for a few moments.

"I don't want to take that chance. I'm sorry, Motoko-chan."

She stands and holds out her sword with both hands.

"Urashima if you wish, I shall relinquish my sword."

Keitaro smiles slightly and shakes his head.

"Keep your sword, Motoko-chan. It's part of who you are. Besides, I'd probably drop it and stick myself in the foot."

The sword master smiles at him and replaces her sword.

"That is true. You can be inept at times. Thank you, Urashima."

As they sit quietly at the table, there is a soft knock on the door and it slides open. Keitaro stands up and smiles.

"Kanako-chan! You're early, but I'm really glad to see you."

Kanako runs over and hugs him.

"Oni-chan! Oni-chan! I missed you so much!"

She reaches up and touches the bandage over his left eye.

"Poor Oni-chan."

Kanako looks around and spots the sword leaning next to Motoko's chair.

"You are Aoyama Motoko, the one that hurt Oni-chan!"

Keitaro places a hand on her shoulder.

"Now Kanako-chan. I don't want you to be mad at anyone. I forgive Motoko-chan, so you shouldn't hold a grudge against her. A manager should be able to get along with her tenants."

Kanako blushes and bows to Motoko.

"I'm sorry, Aoyama-san. I just really like Oni-chan and I always worry about him."

Motoko rises and bows in return.

"You have no need to apologize to me. If you must dislike me for my actions, then I truly understand. I cannot as yet find the courage to forgive myself."

Kanako looks from Keitaro to Motoko and smiles.

"I won't try to go against what Oni-chan wants. If he can forgive you, than I want to be your friend too."

She looks up at Keitaro and claps her hands.

"Oni-chan, if we get married, you wouldn't have to leave, and I could take care of you and we could run Hinata-sou together!"

Keitaro pats her on the head.

"You've always been such a nice girl, that's why I'm glad you're my sister."

Kitsune leans on her elbows and looks at Keitaro.

"Ya'll aint serious about getting hitched, are you? I mean, it's illegal for siblings to get married."

Keitaro shakes his head.

"Kanako-chan's always kidded me about getting married. You don't have to worry."

Kanako looks at the fox.

"I am his adopted sister. We're not related by blood. Therefore, it would not be illegal if he were to agree to it."

Naru gags on her tea.

"Wh-what? You're not really his sister?"

Kanako drops her head.

"To Oni-chan, that's all that I'll ever be."

Keitaro takes Kanako on a tour of the inn to show her how he manages things. After an hour, they return to the common room to find it decorated for a party. Keitaro smiles at the others.

"I glad you decided to throw Kanako-chan a welcoming party. That's really nice."

Kitsune shakes her head.

"Ya'll got it wrong, Keitaro-san. This is your going away party. Kanako's party is tonight!"

He looks at her and bows his head.

"I'd, rather not have a party. I, uh, don't want to take any unnecessary risks. I appreciate the thought, though."

"Are ya'll sure about that, Keitaro-san?"

He glances sideways at Motoko and quickly lowers his gaze.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Sorry."

He nods to them and makes his way up the stairs. Naru looks at him and then shakes her head.

"I can't believe that Keitaro doesn't want a party. He always had so much fun before. Even if he was the one to clean it up afterwards."

Kanako looks sadly at the stairs.

"I've never seen Oni-chan pass up having fun. What did he mean when he said that he didn't want to take the risk?"

Motoko steps over and looks at the stairs.

"Urashima meant me, or rather, my reactions to his, supposed mistakes."

Kitsune stares at her.

"Do ya'll mean that you're willing to admit that Keitaro-san didn't mean to do some of the things ya'll and Naru punished him for?"

The sword master nods her head.

"I must, considering that my own actions have been less that honorable."

Keitaro pokes his head from the top of the steps.

"Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing you talking. I guess that I could stay at the party a little while, as long as Kitsune-san promises not to try to get me drunk on sake!"

He smiles at them.

"Kanako-chan is right; I just can't miss a good party!"

He sighs as he makes his way back down the steps.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm gonna regret this?"

The party commences and is surprisingly lively. Keitaro manages to avoid Naru and Motoko's wrath, even after tripping while moving past the coffee table and falling in Shinobu's lap. Su sets up one of her Mecha-tamas to project pictures and videos of prior incidents with Keitaro. He blushes often, especially upon discovering that Su developed a unique 'barrel-tama'. Fortunately, it short-circuited before its camera could come into focus, and the video only showed indistinct blobs.

**Saturday Night**

Later that evening, the second party welcoming Kanako goes much as the first. Everyone retires early, worn out by the day's festivities. Kanako sits up late with Keitaro discussing his plans.

"Oni-chan, you know that you can always come back here if things are difficult for you. This room will always be yours"

He nods his head and smiles.

"I know, I plan to keep in touch with everyone here. Hinata-sou is special to me, and I'll always have a warm spot in my heart for it."

"Haruka-san said that you will be working at the Hinata Delivery Company. Don't you think that will be hard on you while your leg is mending?"

He shakes his head.

"They will let me start slow, until I get out of the cast. They were even were nice enough to let me work around my prep school schedule."

Kanako smiles.

"That's nice! I'm glad that you will still be able to try for Toudai. Are you sure that you don't want any help moving to your new apartment?"

"I'll be fine. It's already furnished, so I don't need much right now. I'll just take my backpack tomorrow, and pick up the rest of my things in a few days."

"You will come by for dinner everyday, won't you?"

"Yes, until I heal some more and can take care of myself."

Kanako pulls out an extra futon and settles down for the evening in Keitaro's room. They talk about things until after midnight before falling asleep.

**Sunday Morning**

Keitaro stands in the entry foyer of Hinata-sou. Shinobu hands him a sack with some sandwiches and two sealed bowls of pork fried rice.

"You won't have to worry about cooking anything today, but, but you can come back here to heat it if it gets cold, Sempai."

"Thank you, Shinobu-chan. I'll be over for dinner tomorrow, so this will be fine for today."

Kitsune leans over and kisses his cheek.

"Ya'll take care, Keitaro-san. And don't be a stranger."

"I'll keep in touch."

Naru hugs him.

"I'm sorry that you couldn't stay here, Keitaro. I wish that things were different. Remember, Wednesday nights are still our study group."

He smiles at her.

"I won't forget. I know that with your help I'll make it into Toudai for sure this time."

Su pulls out a pen and signs his cast.

"There ya go! I even wrote a good-luck symbol on it to help ya out!"

"Thank you, Su-chan. I'm sure that I'll be fine now."

Kanako wipes a tear and just hugs him. Haruka pats Keitaro on the head.

"Call me if there is anything you need."

He nods his head.

"I will, thanks, Haruka-san."

He looks at them all.

"Well, I don't like long goodbyes, so I guess I should be going. Take care of them, Kanako-chan."

He waves at them and adjusts his backpack. Taking his cane from Shinobu, he turns and walks through the door. The girls watch as he makes his way to the steps. He turns around and waves once more before slowly walking out of sight.

On the third floor, Motoko looks out a window as Keitaro walks down the steps. When he passes the Tea Shop, she slides the strap of her sword holder over her shoulder and makes her way to the stairs at the far end of the hallway.

Keitaro walks along, enjoying the pleasant weather and sunshine. As he walks over the bridge, he fights the temptation to turn around and head back to Hinata-sou. He shakes his head and continues on, determined to leave his former life behind him. He pauses after about fifteen minutes and rests on a bench near the center of town. People pass by, busy shopping or just enjoying a morning stroll. After a few minutes, he stands up and continues walking, making his way to his apartment.

A few blocks from his destination, he re-adjusts his pack before crossing the busy street. When the crossing signal indicates walk, he steps out onto the road. A shout causes him to look up. People on the other side point at him and frantically wave their arms. Craning his head to the left, he spots the truck heading towards him that he missed because of the patch over his left eye. Keitaro tries to run, but falls to his knees as his cane slips from his hand. Throwing his arms over his head, he braces for the pain of impact. A tremendous force strikes his back, forcing him to roll to the other side of the road. He hears the screech of tires and the sickening sound of the impact. He rolls over and looks back onto the road as the truck careens to a stop. A crowd quickly gathers in front of the vehicle, women covering their mouths and pulling children away. Keitaro reaches for his cane and pauses as on object in the road catches his attention. A chill runs through his body as he forces himself to his feet. He takes a few steps and recognizes the sword, which has partially slipped out of its torn holder.

"No, oh god, please no."

He limps over and forces his way through the crowd. He stops for an instant as he makes his way to the front, his fears realized. Quickly, he kneels on the pavement and cradles Motoko's head in his hands.

"M-m-motoko-chan?"

The sword master lies in his arms, blood flowing from between her lips as she looks up at him. He gently touches her cheek.

"M-motoko-chan, lie still. You'll be okay! Help is coming, please hold on."

As he carefully slides her hair from her face, Motoko closes her eyes and her head rolls to the side.

The sound of the ambulance sirens is drowned out by Keitaro's scream of anguish.

"NO!"

**End of Chapter Five.**


	6. Blood is Thicker than Water

Love Hina – Defeated

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

Chapter Six – Blood is Thicker than Water

**Sunday Noon.**

Keitaro lies on a stretcher next to the operating table, though he cannot see what transpires because of the screen that has been placed between him and Motoko. After learning that he had a compatible blood type, the doctors asked him if he would donate to help her. Hikari, after hearing that they were admitted, offered her assistance by pouring over x-rays and other scans while the specialist works on the sword master. She occasionally enters to pass along some data that the scans reveal. About thirty minutes into the operation, she pauses next to Keitaro and touches his arm. The look on her face chills his soul. Hikari takes a deep breath.

"Keitaro-san, it is not going well. Motoko-san is severely injured. But, we will do everything possible, until the, the very end."

She looks down at his arm and the tube running from it.

"Have you been providing blood this entire time?"

Keitaro nods his head.

"Is it enough? You can use another transfusion tube if it will help."

"You cannot give that much blood! This should have been removed ten minutes ago."

As she carefully removes the needle, one of the nurses calls out.

"She's starting to convulse!"

The other doctor curses.

"We're losing her!"

Keitaro closes his right eye and covers his ears.

"No!"

Hikari rushes over to the table. She looks down at Motoko for a few seconds as she helps the nurse hold her steady. She looks up at the monitors and her eyes go wide.

"Doctor! Please continue, quickly!"

She reaches for the anesthetic mask and places it over Motoko's mouth.

"She is not convulsing! She is waking up!"

The doctor stares at the monitors.

"That's impossible! She shouldn't have even survived this long! How can she be regaining consciousness?"

Motoko slowly relaxes as Hikari holds the mask firmly on her mouth. The doctor reads the instruments.

"Blood pressure 105 over 78, her pulse is 72 and respiration is 10 a minute. That's crazy! These are almost normal!"

Hikari turns her head briefly.

"Doctor, complete the procedure. She is stable now."

He leans back over the table and asks for the sutures. He looks over at Motoko's shoulder.

"Didn't she have a bad scrape there? All I see now is a bruise."

He rubs his eyes.

"Maybe I should go see a doctor. I might be needing glasses."

Hikari removes the mask and wipes her forehead. Quietly, she moves behind the screen and looks at Keitaro. She gently pulls his hands away from his ears. When he opens his eye, she smiles at him.

"Motoko is making an incredible recovery."

Keitaro groggily lifts his head and looks at her.

"H-how?"

She checks the bandage on his arm.

"I believe that your blood, through the transfusion, imparted your amazing ability to recover to Motoko-chan."

He sits up and takes a deep breath.

"Thank goodness. I, I was really afraid that she was dying."

Keitaro scratches his head.

"But, I thought that I was losing my recovery ability. That's why Motoko-chan was, was able to hurt me so bad last time."

The doctor tilts her head.

"Your gift seemed as strong as ever when I operated on your ankle. I still do not understand why it failed for your eye. In addition, it seemed to be working correctly when Mutsumi re-broke your elbow. I had truly thought that your chance to recover its use was almost nil."

He thinks for a moment.

"You're right. But, why didn't it work at Hinata-sou, while I was hiding?"

She shakes her head.

"I do not know."

Hikari hands him a glass of orange juice and helps him walk into the hallway.

"Let us wait outside while they finish tending her. The others should also be here by now and we should let them know that Motoko-chan is going to be well again."

As they round the corner into the waiting area, Haruka and the girls rush them, questions flowing too fast to make out. Hikari holds up a hand and smiles, waiting for silence. She looks towards Haruka.

"Motoko-chan is going to be fine. It was difficult at first, but Keitaro-san donated his blood and it seems to have turned the tide."

Naru rubs Keitaro's arm.

"Thank you for helping her! What in the world happened?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is that Motoko-chan saved me when I fell in front of that truck. Why she was even there, I can't say."

Kitsune rubs her chin.

"That's strange. I saw her in her room just before you left. It looked like she was doing her morning meditation. How come she followed ya'll to your new place?"

They sit and talk quietly, waiting for the doctors to finish treating their friend. Presently he arrives, dabbing at the sweat on his brow. He informs them that they can visit her for a few minutes once the nurses complete the preparations in her room. Haruka and Hikari lead the way and they gently push the door open. Motoko, a bandage wrapped around her waist and another around her head, lies quietly on the bed. The others gather around and watch as her chest slowly rises and falls with each breath. Shinobu reaches out and touches her right hand.

"Motoko-sempai."

The sword master opens hers eyes and turns her head, wincing slightly.

"What has happened? Where am I?"

Her eyes widen and she tries to sit up.

"Urashima! The vehicle! Spirits no!"

Keitaro touches her shoulder and gently pushes her back onto the pillow.

"I'm okay. Just rest Motoko-chan."

He pulls the sword from his backpack and places it in her hands.

"Hikari-san let me bring this in. I thought it would comfort you while you recover."

Motoko smiles as she grips her sword.

"Thank you, Urashima."

He shakes his head.

"No. I have to thank you. You saved my life when I wasn't able to do anything. If not for you I would . . ."

He bows his head.

"Thank you, Motoko-chan. If there is anything that I can do for you, just ask."

The sword master looks at her scabbard.

"I do not understand why I failed to use my Shinmei-ryu technique. It would have been simple to deflect the vehicle from its path."

She looks up at him.

"When I saw the look of terror on your face, I froze for an instant. Memories of the time when I caused such a look on your face flooded into my mind. Seeing it was, it was disturbing to say the least."

Keitaro smiles and rests a hand on her arm.

"I guarantee that it wasn't as disturbing as what I saw. When that truck . . . Well, thank goodness that you'll be okay."

Naru leans over and kisses Motoko's cheek.

"Thank you for protecting Keitaro."

Su pulls out a banana and pushes it into Motoko's hand.

"These is good for ya! When ya come home, I'll take good care of you till ya gets better!"

Keitaro pats Su on the head.

"No, you won't"

He looks at his aunt.

"Haruka-san, if you don't mind, could I come back to Hinata-sou? Just long enough to take care of Motoko-chan?"

She nods her head.

"If Motoko-chan doesn't mind, I see no reason why you couldn't."

Keitaro looks down at Motoko and tilts his head. She smiles weakly at him.

"You need not trouble yourself, Urashima. However, I know that it is next to impossible to stop you once you set your mind to a task. It shames me that I was not as able to assist you after I injured you."

"That's in the past, so forget about it."

Su jumps on the end of the bed and raises her hands.

"Yay! Doctor Keitaro to the rescue! We still have that bucket and sponges so ya can gives Motoko a sponge bath!"

Keitaro slaps a hand over his nose as Motoko lifts her sword.

"If you even think about attempting it Urashima, I shall kill you!"

Kitsune leans over and rests her head on Keitaro's shoulder.

"Ya'll can give me a sponge bath anytime, Keitaro-san."

He slaps his other hand over his nose and quickly hobbles out of the room. Motoko frowns at Kitsune as the door closes.

"That was uncalled for."

She looks back at the door.

"However, it is good that he will remain with us for a while longer."

**Monday Afternoon.**

They assist Motoko up the steps and into her room. Keitaro follows, still supporting himself with his cane. Once she is settled, Shinobu and Kitsune make their way downstairs to prepare dinner. Naru, Keitaro, and Su sit around the sword master's futon. Motoko looks at each of them.

"Really, I feel surprisingly well. It is not necessary for me to remain bedridden."

Naru shakes her head.

"Your're not Keitaro. You can't just bounce back from an injury like that. It must be the medication. You don't feel the pain and you think that you are stronger than you really are."

Keitaro takes her sword and places it on the rack.

"The best thing for you is rest. Take it from me, I know."

Su nods her head.

"Keitaro is the expert on this kind of stuff. Ya had better listen to him. Both of ya need to get better really quick, cause I haven't jumped around anyone's neck since Friday!"

There are a few moments of silence. Naru looks at Su.

"What are you looking at me for? And don't smile like that! You are not going to jump on my neck!"

Su smiles broadly and stands up. Naru leaps to her feet and runs out the door.

"Don't you even think about it, Su-chan!"

Su jumps for the door.

"I like it when they run!"

Keitaro places his hands to his mouth and calls out.

"Narusegawa, keep your back to a wall!"

Motoko looks up at him.

"Interesting. Will that prevent Su-chan from leaping on your neck?"

Keitaro shakes his head and laughs.

"Nothing can stop her when she's in the mood to play. However, with your back to a wall you can at least see when she launches herself at you. It's better than being blind-sided."

Motoko reaches up and touches the bandage around her head.

"Regardless what Naru-sempai says, I believe that I am recovering quite rapidly. The swelling has gone and it is no longer tender to the touch. Perhaps, being in close proximity to you for the past few months has had an effect."

Keitaro clears his throat nervously.

"Actually, while they were operating on you, I, uh, well, that is, you lost a lot of blood and I . . ."

"Urashima! You did not!"

He nods his head.

"I did. There wasn't any time to waste. Without an immediate blood transfusion, you may have not made it."

She lifts her left arm and pokes at it with a finger.

"Well, that cannot have been helped. You did what you had to do, and I appreciate your sacrifice."

Motoko sits up and removes the bandage from her head.

"Urashima, please bring me the mirror from that shelf."

He hands it to her and she uses it to inspect her temple.

"It must be true! There is only a slight redness left. It will not even leave a scar. This is amazing!"

She lowers the mirror and places a hand to her waist.

"I did not feel any pain when I sat up, just a little discomfort.

The sword master quickly opens her gi and pulls the bindings around her chest down. She places her fingers against her skin.

"It is as I thought. Even the scar that I received ten years ago when I first began sword training has disappeared!"

A moan causes her to look up. Keitaro, blood streaming from his nose, falls backwards and crashes onto the kotatsu table, splintering it. His left foot twitches slightly, the only sign that he is still conscious. Motoko blushes and quickly pulls her gi closed.

"Spirits, what was I thinking?"

**Monday Evening.**

A little while later, an exhausted Naru staggers to the door.

"Shinobu-chan says that dinner is ready. Would you like me to bring your plate up here?"

Motoko shakes her head.

"That will not be necessary. I shall meet you at the table."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am well enough to move around."

Naru looks at Keitaro.

"Putting my back to the wall didn't do any good. Su-chan still jumped on my neck!"

Keitaro smiles.

"Well, at least you could see it coming."

Naru shakes her head and turns back into the hallway.

"Fat lot of good that did."

Keitaro stands up and holds out a hand to Motoko. She accepts his assistance and they make their way downstairs. As Keitaro enters the dining room, he misses his footing. He slips and falls forward, crashing into Su as she is somersaulting around the table. They land on the floor and Su wraps her legs around his waist.

"Now that's the Keitaro I remember!"

Motoko scowls and draws her training sword.

"Urashima! You vile, lecherous male! Unhand Su-chan this instant!"

Keitaro tries to crawl away as she moves in on him. Shinobu, carrying a tray, comes through the kitchen door.

"Did I hear Sempai fall again?"

Motoko looks up, and catches her foot against Su's leg. She trips, and as she falls forward she reaches out to grab something for support. She crashes to the ground next to Keitaro. The room goes silent. Motoko looks over and sees Keitaro staring at her.

"Why are you looking at me in that manner, Urashima?"

Wordlessly, he points at her left hand. Motoko slowly turns her head. Gripped in her fingers is a skirt. Shinobu's skirt. The young cook raises her hands to her mouth and whimpers.

"M-motoko-sempai! Aaauuuuu!"

Kitsune places a hand on her head.

"Holy spit! Its like two peas in a pod!"

The sword master sits up and tosses the skirt to Shinobu before raising her hands.

"It, it was an accident, really. I am innocent!"

Naru tilts her head.

"Isn't that Keitaro's line?"

Motoko whispers.

"The transfusion."

She looks over and Keitaro starts backing away from her.

"This is your fault, Urashima! What have you done to me?"

Keitaro raises his hands.

"I didn't know this would happen, really! I'm innocent!"

Motoko raises her sword.

"Urashima!"

Before she can move on him, someone falls against her and wraps their arms around her neck. She turns her head to the right.

"Oto-otohime-san?"

The melon-girl looks up at her.

"I'm sorry. Oh my, I'm feeling a little light-headed after walking up the steps."

Mutsumi blinks her eyes.

"Oh my, Motoko-san! I thought you were Kei-kun."

She straightens up and squints at Motoko. After a few seconds, she claps her hands.

"Oh my! I never noticed before, but you have a darling face too!"

Motoko looks back across the room.

"Urashima! I will . . . Where did he go?"

Su points at the door.

"From the look on Keitaro's face, I think that he's heading for the hills!"

They follow as Motoko rushes out of the room. She pauses in the common room and sees the panel just as it finishes closing. They gather by the wall and Motoko kicks it.

"Urashima! Come out of there!"

His voice echoes from behind the wall.

"I'm not in here!"

". . ."

"Shoot! Why did I say that?"

Motoko pushes the panel aside and kneels in the opening.

"Urashima, come back here. I promise that what I do to you will not be fatal. Hikari-sensei may even be able to re-attach it afterwards."

Keitaro continues crawling to the back of the passage.

"Tama-chan, where are you when I need you? Here Tama-chan!"

Just then, the clock strikes seven o'clock. Motoko places a hand to her waist and winces.

"What is happening? It is starting to hurt again."

Her face goes pale and her eyes flutter closed as she falls to her side. Naru catches her and keeps her head from hitting the floor.

"Motoko-chan! What's wrong?"

Kitsune kneels next to her.

"Ya'll don't look too good! We'd better get her to the couch!"

As they carefully lift her, Keitaro crawls back out of the passage.

"It's just like me. My recovery ability isn't working right!"

Su looks up at the clock.

"That's strange. It starts right now too."

Shinobu looks over at her.

"What starts now?"

Su points upstairs.

"My new 'Keitaro Instant Support System – Mark Eleven' that I built a few weeks ago."

Mutsumi stands next to her.

"That sounds nice. What is it supposed to do?"

"It should be making Keitaro stronger. It's set to go off automatically around dinnertime. That's when he usually gets it, if ya knows what I mean."

Su taps a finger to her forehead.

"Do ya think it's a coincidence that Motoko got weak when KISS-ME started?"

Keitaro grabs Su's arm.

"Su-chan, turn it off!"

She shrugs her shoulders and pulls out a remote control. She thumbs a switch.

"Okey-dokey! It's off."

As they lay Motoko on the couch, she quickly opens her eyes and sits up. She looks over at Keitaro.

"What happened? I feel fine now. It is as if a switch were thrown."

He nods his head.

"KISS-ME."

The sword master leaps from the couch.

"Ura-urashima! You perverted, vile, immoral, perverted, lecherous, perverted . . ."

He quickly raises his hands.

"No, not that! It's the name of Su's invention! That's why you got weak so suddenly! I felt it too."

He turns to the young inventor.

"Su-chan, what's the range of that thing? And how long does it stay on?"

"It can only reach about a hundred meters. And, I set it to run until morning. Why?"

Keitaro scratches the back of his head.

"That's why I was able to heal so well at the hospital. And why I didn't that first night after Motoko-chan's attack."

Motoko grabs Su's hand and heads for the steps.

"That device must be destroyed! Urashima is in danger as long as it functions!"

Naru watches as Su supports Motoko as they rush up the steps. She shakes her head.

"Why would Motoko-chan feel weak from Su's invention?"

Keitaro rubs his head.

"It's the transfusion. That's why she is healing so quickly."

Shinobu sits on the couch and clasps her hands together.

"Motoko-sempai has Sempai's blood? She's such a lucky girl! I wish that I could be run over by a truck too."

The young cook looks up as she realizes the room is silent. Everyone is staring at her. She grabs a pillow and clutches it.

"Aaauuuuu! Why do I think out loud?"

Naru smiles and looks at Keitaro.

"At least Motoko-chan will make sure that thing doesn't hurt you anymore."

Mutsumi claps her hands.

"Oh my! Isn't it sweet that she is so concerned for Kei-kun?"

Kitsune rubs her chin.

"More like she's concerned for herself, I bet."

**End of Chapter Six.**


	7. Don't! KISSME!

Love Hina – Defeated

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

Chapter Seven – Don't! KISS-ME!

**Monday Night.**

Motoko stands in Su's room staring at the odd combination of technology and tropical forest.

"Your room never fails to amaze me, Su-chan. How you manage to keep all of this, stuff, from shorting out in this humidity is beyond me."

Su blinks her eyes at the sword master.

"What do ya mean stop shorts from happening? Don't ya know that some of the greatest inventions happen by accident?"

Motoko tilts her head.

"Do tell. On second thought do not; I wish to complete our task this month. Where is the device?"

Su jumps over and flourishes her hands at a large station with some writing pads, a can, a few glasses of water, and some bananas on it.

"Here ya go! It's righty here!"

Raising her sword, Motoko approaches the apparatus. At the last moment, Su reaches out and touches her elbow.

"What are ya doin'?"

She turns to the inventor.

"I am going to destroy this desk. That is why we are here."

"If ya do what I think you're gonna do, you'll wreck the station."

Motoko nods her head.

"That is correct."

Su points at the workbench again.

"Aint that a little overboard? Ya only haves to bust that."

"That is what I plan to do."

Su shakes her head.

"Not that. That!"

"What? Please be more specific, Su-chan!"

Su walks over to the table.

"Ya is getting too worked up. Ya don't need to use your sword trick on the whole thing. Just this."

She picks up the can and holds it out to Motoko. The sword master stares at it for a few moments.

"Do you mean to say that this small object is what has been negating Urashima's ability to recover?"

Su nods her head vigorously.

"Aint it great? Or rather, if it worked right it would have been great. I gots no idea what went wrong."

Motoko takes the can and turns it end over end. She shakes it lightly and feels liquid sloshing around inside.

"This is just a can of soda, though I do not recognize the brand. What do these three eye-type things mean?"

"That aint soda-pop. That's KISS-ME! And that's the royal seal of my family."

Motoko looks at Su and then back at KISS-ME.

"How does this device operate? And please, keep it short and in plain Japanese."

Su shakes her head again.

"I don't know."

"What?"

"Like I said earlier, great inventions sometimes happen by accident. It's the same with KISS-ME. There's some liquid phosphorous and a couple of batteries inside for power generation, and a remote switch and a timer. Other than that, I aint sure what's inside."

Motoko furrows her brow.

"But, you created this. How could you not know what is inside or how it works?"

Su blushes.

"Well, there is some of Keitaro's bath water in it too. But, everything else was just stuff that I closed my eyes and stuck in there. Without taking it apart, the odds are 1,984,284,593,293 to 1 against me ever being able to make it again."

Motoko's eyes widen.

"Those are very long and precise odds Su-chan. Did you calculate those numbers yourself?"

"Nah! I just pull them outta MY-ASS."

"Su-chan! Watch your language!"

Su tilts her head, reaches into one of the drawers in the workbench, and pulls an object out which she hands to Motoko.

"Ya misunderstood me. I just used another one of my inventions, MY-ASS. The Mechanical Yardstick - Analytical Statistic System.

Motoko looks at the object for a few moments and slowly blinks her eyes. She looks up at the young inventor and speaks with an exasperated voice.

"Su-chan, this is just a slide-rule. You can get them at any bookstore. I have even seen Urashima use one. Though most of the time he just uses it to scratch behind his ear."

Su purses her lips and walks over to a large chalkboard with a list of her inventions written on it. Grabbing a piece of chalk, she places an X across from the entry for MY-ASS, under the column labeled ALREADY BEEN DONE. She sighs and looks up at Motoko.

"Do ya think they would like to use my name for it instead? I think it sounds better than saying ya pulled it outta a slide rule."

The sword master smiles.

"I do not think they would agree to the change."

Motoko places the slide rule on the table and holds up the can.

"So, you say that it is impossible to recreate this device."

Su nods her head. Motoko places the can on the ground and prepares to destroy it with her blade. Su clears her throat, causing Motoko to turn towards her once more.

"What is it, Su-chan?"

"Are ya sure ya wants to do it that way?"

"Why should I not?"

Su smiles at her.

"I did invent it, remember?"

Motoko looks down at the can, back towards Su, and then back at the can. She slowly takes two steps away from the can."

"I see your point. How do you suggest we dispose of this?"

Su leaps over and picks up KISS-ME.

"We could just flush it down the toilet."

Motoko takes three more steps away as Su starts to shake the can.

"Is it that simple? We can safely empty it down the drain?"

Su stops shaking the can.

"Oh, ya wants a safe way to do it! Ya should have said something before I started shaking it."

Su drops the can on the ground and jumps behind the workbench.

"Fire in the hole!"

Motoko kneels down, grabs the can, and throws it across the room. It bounces off two trees and lands in the distance. She then dives behind the bench to join Su. After thirty seconds, she uncovers her ears and looks at the girl from Molmol.

"I thought that it would explode."

Su stands up and walks around the bench.

"Shoot, I was kinda hoping it would! That woulda been keen! I guess it's a dud."

They walk over to the area where the can landed. After searching for a few minutes, Motoko pushes aside some brush. She spots the can, but also sees next to it Kanako, who is kneeling on the ground and rubbing her head. Motoko drops down next to her.

"Kanako-san! What are you doing here?"

Su peeks through the brush.

"So there ya is Manager Lady! We aint seen ya since yesterday morning!"

Kanako looks up and wipes a tear from her eye.

"Well, after Oni-chan left, I went around to inspect all the rooms. When I came in here I, well, what the heck is a jungle doing INSIDE an inn? Anyway, I wandered around and got lost. I've been trying to find a way out since yesterday and I'm so hungry!"

Kanako stops rubbing her head and looks down at the can.

"A soda! Thank goodness!"

She grabs the can and pulls the ring on the top. As she raises it to her lips she pauses. The can begins to rumble and shake. Kanako looks up at Motoko.

"Aoyama-san, what is this?"

"Well, I threw it over . . ."

At that moment, the can explodes.

Keitaro and the girls rush upstairs and slide to a halt outside of Su's room. Keitaro holds an arm out to block the others and reaches for the door. He slowly slides it open and thick, white smoke pours out into the hallway. Naru and Kitsune open a few of the outside panels and the wind helps to clear the air. They stand close behind Keitaro as he slowly moves through the entrance. A few steps into the room, they halt as three figures become visible. Keitaro waves his hand to try to clear the air further.

"Su-chan? Motoko-chan?"

"Oni-chan!"

"Kanako-chan?"

Kanako leaps through the smoke and hugs Keitaro.

"That beast-woman tried to kill me! First she hurt you, and now she's after me!"

Keitaro grabs Kanako's shoulders and pushes her back so he can look at her. Other than being covered with soot and a few rips in her blouse and skirt, she seems whole.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Motoko steps from the smoke and coughs.

"It was an accident, really! It was not my fault, Urashima!"

Su follows close behind, brushing at her blackened uniform.

"KISS-ME is kaput. Ya shoulda been here Keitaro! It was the coolest explosion I ever saw!"

Kitsune covers her mouth with a handkerchief and looks at Kanako.

"Where have ya'll been?"

Kanako looks out into the hallway and spots Shinobu. She pulls away from Keitaro and staggers over to her. Falling to her knees, she wraps her hands in the young cook's sweater.

"Is it dinner time yet? I'm so hungry!"

Shinobu nods her head.

"We were just getting ready to eat. Aaauuuuu. Did you get lost in Su-chan's room too?"

Kanako nods her head and sniffles.

"I thought that I'd starve to death in there!"

Shinobu looks back and points into the room.

"Why didn't you eat some of the bananas?"

Kanako follows her arm and looks into the room.

"What bananas? I didn't see anything to eat in there!"

Shinobu raises her hand.

"On the trees!"

Kanako looks up into the foliage. The smoke has now mostly cleared and she spots some of the yellow fruit among the leaves.

"Bananas grow on trees?"

Kitsune leans over and yells at her.

"Of course they grow on trees! Where'd ya'll think they came from?"

Kanako sniffles again and looks at Keitaro.

"Oni-chan told me that they come from the market. That's where we always got them when we were younger."

Naru looks over at Keitaro.

"Why would you tell your sister a silly thing like that?"

Keitaro blushes.

"Well, it was a long time ago and I never got around to, well . . ."

Motoko straightens her gi and walks past Keitaro and down the hallway.

"Urashima does not want to admit that he did not know where they came from either. Obviously, he did not want to appear to be an idiot in his sister's eyes."

Mutsumi smiles at Keitaro.

"Oh my! You really are very stupid! No wonder you failed getting into Toudai so many times!"

Keitaro hangs his head and stands at the door as the girls head downstairs. Naru calls for him to follow. He slides the door closed, hesitating for a moment and as he peeks inside.

"So, they really do grow on trees. Fancy that!"

**End of Chapter Seven.**


	8. Blood Rage!

Love Hina – Defeated

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

Chapter Eight – Blood Rage!

**Tuesday Morning.**

After breakfast, Motoko stops by Keitaro's room. She knocks on his door.

"Urashima, may I enter?"

After a few seconds, he opens the door.

"Sure, Motoko-chan. What can I do for you?"

She bows her head.

"I wish to apologize for chasing you before the evening meal last night. I do not really believe that I could have manifested traits similar to yours just because of the blood transfusion. It would not make any sense to think it were due to anything other than the medication Hikari-sensei provided."

Keitaro smiles and nods his head.

"I hope that's true. It would be unsettling, at the very least, to know my awkwardness can be passed on that easily. How are you feeling this morning, by the way?"

The sword master touches a hand to her waist.

"The wound has nearly healed. My muscles are still a little stiff, but the pain has vanished."

Keitaro points a thumb over his shoulder.

"I woke up early and cleaned the hot spring. You should go and relax for a while. The water will do you good."

She nods her head.

"Konno-san mentioned that they would partake of the springs this morning. I will be joining them shortly. I just wanted to talk to you first."

Motoko hesitates for a moment and Keitaro tilts his head.

"Is there anything else that you wanted?"

Motoko shakes her head.

"No. I was just thinking that, even with your injuries, you still take care of Hinata-sou and us. You do this even after you have relinquished your position as our manager."

She looks at his leg.

"When will you be able to remove the cast?"

"Hikari-san said that she would check on me today. She thinks I should have recovered enough by now."

Motoko reaches up and touches his left temple next to the patch over his eye.

"Has she mentioned any improvement for your eye?"

He shakes his head.

"No, but I'm not going to hold out any hope. She seemed very sincere about my chances."

She looks past him and notices a large bunch of bananas on his kotatsu table. A smile crosses her lips.

"I assume that Su left those as a token of apology for what her device did."

Keitaro smiles.

"Yes. Su-chan dropped them off last night. She said, and I quote, 'they is good eye food'."

The sword master shakes her head as a light laugh escapes her lips.

"One would believe, if they listened to Su, that they could live on bananas alone. Well, I shall see you later, Urashima."

She walk from his room and heads to the hot spring. The other girls wave to her as she exits the changing room and Shinobu pours a glass of tea on the floating tray. Kitsune cocks her head as Motoko slips into the water.

"How is Keitaro-san?"

"He is as well as can be expected. He is hopeful that Hikari-sensei will allow him to remove his cast today."

Naru nods her head.

"I hope so. At least he'll have one less worry. How are you feeling, Motoko-chan?"

She leans against a boulder and rubs a damp cloth across her cheek.

"I'm quite well today, thank you. I can't wait to resume my training."

A silence stretches and Motoko looks at the others.

"What is wrong? Why are you all staring at me like that?"

Su floats by on her back.

"Oh, it aint much. We is just surprised that ya said 'I'm' and 'can't'. Kinda irregular talking for ya."

Motoko shakes her head.

"You must be mistaken. I've been taught the proper use of Japanese, and contractions were expressly forbidden by my tutors."

Shinobu points at her.

"You did it again! You just said 'I've'!"

Rising to her feet, Motoko shakes her head again.

"That is impossible. I couldn't use a contraction even if I wanted to. It's just so, so uncouth!"

Mutsumi, floating by face-down in the water, waggles a hand as she passes Motoko. She wobbly gets to her feet as the sword master takes her arm.

"Oh my! I heard you quite clearly! You are starting to sound like Kei-kun!"

Motoko stares at the melon-girl.

"I repeat, that is quite preposterous! I couldn't have . . ."

She touches her lips.

"I just did it again, did I not?"

The girls all nod their heads. Su paddles over and hands another cloth to Motoko.

"Here, I thinks ya needs this."

"What for?"

Su leans around Mutsumi and points at her breasts.

"Well, as soon as ya started lookin' at the Melon-lady, your nose began drippin' like ya was Keitaro!"

Motoko places the cloth to her nose and then looks at it. She quickly places it back over her face.

"What is happening to me?

Naru crosses her arms.

"How can Motoko-chan be reacting like that pervert Keitaro? She's a girl for crying out loud!"

Kanako scowls at Naru.

"Oni-chan is not a pervert."

Kitsune rubs her chin and smiles.

"Hey, Motoko! Look over here!"

As Motoko turns, the Fox stands and drops her towel. Blood gushes from around the edges of the cloth and she balls her right hand into a fist. Looking up at the inn, she screams her challenge.

"Urashima! You did this to me! You will pay! If it is the last thing I do, I'll make you pay!"

She spins around and crashes into Shinobu as she runs from the pool, sending them both splashing into the water.

"Aaauuuuu! Motoko-sempai!"

Motoko rushes into the inn and up to the second floor. She throws open the door to Keitaro's room.

"Urashima! I will . . . where did you go?"

She rushes back downstairs and sees the others in the common room. They are looking at the panel, which is slightly ajar. Motoko pushes it aside and peers inside.

"Urashima! Come out and face me like a man!"

Keitaro, barely visible in the dark passage, holds Tama-chan with one hand as he tries to climb over the ledge.

"S-s-stay back! I've g-got a turtle and I'm not afraid to use it!"

"Mew!"

The sword master crawls into the opening and rushes down the passage. Su moves the panel back into place.

"I can't bear to watch. Keitaro is gonna get creamed for sure!"

The girls stand in the common room, awaiting the inevitable crash as Motoko strikes Keitaro. Strangely, it is silent for many moments. Presently, the panel slowly slides open and the former manager exits pulling Motoko. Kitsune quickly moves to help lift the unconscious girl.

"Keitaro-san, what happened to Motoko?"

He carefully adjusts his coat, which covers the sword master. As the other girls lay her on the couch, he scratches his head and smiles crookedly.

"Well, about half-way down the tunnel there's an old mirror on the wall. It caught her attention for a second and while she was distracted Tama-chan flew by and pulled off her towel. Motoko-chan stared at her reflection for a couple seconds and then blood gushed from her nose before she flopped over backwards."

He stares at the couch.

"I wonder if I look that weird when it happens to me."

**Tuesday Noon.**

Motoko paces back and forth in her room. A 'Do Not Disturb Me, Especially if You are Urashima – Under Penalty of Death' sign hangs on her door.

The sword master stops pacing and faces her mirror. Her right hand reaches up to the neck of her shirt. After a few moments, she lowers her head.

"No, it will be like the last time, I am sure."

She looks back at the mirror. In the reflection, she can see the two tissues that she stuffed into her nostrils. Motoko reaches over and grabs her kendo stick.

"Urashima. I'll make you pay for this!"

She shakes her head as if to clear it.

"I will make you pay for this."

There is a knock at her door. Motoko spins around and hurls the kendo stick through the air. It tears through the thin fabric of the door panel and disappears, followed an instant later by a girl's scream and a crashing sound. Motoko rushes to the door and slides it open. Shinobu, her back against the outside wall, stares at the kendo stick impaled a few inches away from her head. A tray of food lies scattered on the hallway floor.

"Aaauuuuu!"

Motoko moves over and grabs the young cook's shoulders.

"Maehara-san! Are you all right? I'm so sorry! I thought that you were Urashima. Only he would be foolish enough to disturb me."

Shinobu stares at her and blinks her eyes.

"S-s-sempai is g-g-gone. I j-just brought y-you l-l-lunch!"

Motoko looks at Shinobu for a few moments.

"Urashima left? When did he leave?"

"Sempai left just a few minutes ago. He took his backpack and headed into town."

The sword master retrieves her kendo stick and runs down the hallway. She leaps the stairs five steps at a time and rushes through the front door. The other girls gather in the common room and wait nervously. Kitsune sips a glass of sake and shakes her head.

"Keitaro-san is in for it now. Motoko really looked mad."

Naru sits on the couch next to Mutsumi.

"I hope he'll be okay."

Keitaro walks in the front door just in time to hear her.

"Why wouldn't I be okay? I just brought some cakes and biscuits I made to Hikari-san. I met with her in the Tea Shop and she will be up in a few minutes to remove my cast."

He looks over his shoulder at the front door.

"By the way, where was Motoko-san off to in such a hurry? I saw her run past the Tea Shop while I was inside."

Su hops over and checks Keitaro's backpack for any leftover cakes.

"She went after ya with her kendo stick."

Keitaro blinks his eye.

"Huh?"

Mutsumi, caressing her melons, looks up at the former manager.

"Oh my! I think that you should hide again Kei-kun. You can stay in my apartment if you like! It will be fun!"

Kanako walks over and takes Keitaro's arm.

"I will take care of him, if you don't mind."

Kitsune sets her glass down, walks over to Mutsumi, and reaching down takes one of the watermelons from her lap.

"Stop rubbing those and let's slice them up already!"

The front door opens and the sword master re-enters the inn. Everyone watches as she calmly walks to the coffee table. She looks sideways at Keitaro and then drops two pieces of tissue on the table. Motoko turns to Kitsune and stares at the watermelon in her hands. Moving faster than they can see, she raises her kendo sword and swings at the green globe. She lowers the stick to her side and turns back to Keitaro.

"I left the inn to find you. Everyone I passed stared at or started laughing at me. It was not until I strode past the grocery store that I discovered why."

Her grip tightens on the kendo stick.

"A young girl walking with her mother pointed at me and said 'Why does that lady have tissues stuck in her nose?'. I had forgotten that I had placed them there."

Motoko quickly lifts the stick and places the tip against Keitaro's throat. Her face burns bright red in shame.

"I have never been so humiliated in my entire life! Your blood is worse than poison!"

Keitaro swallows roughly.

"Oh no."

She leans closer to him, forcing him backwards.

"I swear to the spirits that if anything further happens because of what you have done to me, I will bring your miserable existence to a final end!"

Su, her mouth watering, hops over to Kitsune and pokes at the watermelon. The light thumping noise echoes in the silence. She looks up at the sword master.

"Hey, Motoko! Ya missed!"

As Motoko turns and looks at the untouched melon, Keitaro sprints for the stairs as fast as his cast will allow.

"Oh heck!"

Naru and Kitsune hold onto Motoko's arms while Shinobu and Mutsumi grab her feet. She struggles to free herself as Kanako tries to get her in a head-lock.

"Release me! Urashima will pay for what he has done to me!"

Naru loses her grip and grabs for her arm again.

"Keitaro saved your life!"

"I do not care!"

Kitsune tries to reach for the empty sake bottle.

"Don't ya'll be silly! He saved ya'll even after what you did to him!

"Release me!"

Kanako loses her grip and lands on Shinobu.

"Someone stop her before she hurts Oni-chan again!"

"Aaauuuuu! I can't hold her much longer!"

Mutsumi faints and slides to the floor. Pushing off with her free foot, Motoko finds enough room to raise her sword.

"Shinmei-ryu no Zankusen! God's Cry Attack of The Air Slashing Sword!"

The vortex scatters the other girls across the room and she leaps for the stairs.

"Urashima! I'll make you pay!"

Running through the inn, Motoko searches for him. On an instinct, she races to the laundry platform. Above her, on the roof, Keitaro scrambles along the shingles. Leaping over the railing, the sword master quickly follows.

"Urashima!"

Keitaro looks over his shoulder and hobbles towards the end of the roof.

"Oh heck! Why do I always end up here? There's no where else to go!"

Reaching the peak of the roof, Motoko raises her kendo stick and charges.

"URASHIMA!"

A few meters from her target, she loses her footing and stumbles the remaining distance. Keitaro raises his hands to try to stop her, but the impact sends them both plummeting over the side of the inn.

**End of Chapter Eight.**


	9. The Final Match

Love Hina – Defeated

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

Chapter Nine – The Final Match

**Tuesday Afternoon.**

Keitaro closes his eyes as he and Motoko fall over the edge of the roof, awaiting the sharp impact with the ground. An instant later, their fall abruptly slows and they bounce gently in some netting. Keitaro sighs with relief.

"I'd forgotten I put that net up here for repairing the roof tiles! We're saved, Motoko-chan!"

He turns his head to look at the sword master and is instantly sorry he did so. Flaming eyes are frightening enough when you are being chased. However, when seen from a few inches away they are quite terrifying. Keitaro tries to pull himself across the netting.

"EEEEEEEEEE!"

Motoko pushes up to her hands and knees and resumes her pursuit.

"Urashima!"

They both bounce downwards a few inches and freeze. Keitaro turns his head to the side.

"Oh heck! Don't move Motoko-chan. The ropes are starting to come lose!"

Motoko stares at his right leg, which is only a few inches away from her hand. Snarling, she reaches forward and grabs his foot. The motion is more than the strained cords can stand and the two opposite corners fray and slip off their anchor loops.

A few seconds later, the other residents of Hinata-sou exit the inn and stand on the stone steps running between the buildings. Naru looks around.

"They're not here."

Kanako stares at her.

"If they went up on the roof, why are we looking for Oni-chan here?"

Su pulls out a magnifying glass and examines the ground.

"I coulda sworn Keitaro would've landed around here by now! He always runs for the dead-end part of the roof."

Kanako's eyes go wide.

"Aoyama-san would not push him off the roof, would she?"

Kitsune leans against the wall.

"Wouldn't be the first time, ya know."

Shinobu reaches down and lifts a kendo stick.

"Aaauuuuu! They must have been here. This is Motoko-sempai's training stick.

Mutsumi looks up and claps her hands.

"Oh my! That looks like fun. Can I try it too Kei-kun?"

The others look up. A few feet above their heads Motoko and Keitaro hang in the net, trapped like a fisherman's catch. The sword master struggles to untangle her hands, which are wrapped in the webbing.

"This is the final outrage! Release us at once! Urashima is, his face is between my . . ."

Shinobu raises her hands to her mouth.

"Sempai is suffocating!"

Keitaro, his back pressed against the netting, is unable to extricate himself while Motoko's chest presses down on his face.

"Mnmfph!"

Su leaps up on the wall, jumps across, and grabs onto the netting. Pulling out a pair of wire cutters, she starts snipping the strands. Slowly, Motoko and Keitaro sink as the ropes loosen. The other carefully guide them to the ground and start untangling the net. The former manager rolls to the side, gasping for air as the sword master roughly extricates herself. Motoko grabs her kendo stick from Shinobu's hands and points it at Keitaro. He looks up at her with his one eye and shakes his head.

"Enough."

". . . . ."

Keitaro pushes against the wall until he gains his feet.

"If were going to do this, let's get it over with already. Motoko-chan, I challenge you to a duel."

Naru grabs his arm.

"What are you saying, Keitaro? Did you hit your head?"

Kitsune grips his shoulder.

"This is nuts! Ya'll don't stand a chance against Motoko, even if ya'll weren't injured! She'll tear you to shreds!"

Mutsumi claps her hands.

"Oh my! Did Kei-kun ask Motoko-san for a date?"

Shinobu grabs his hands and just looks up at his face.

Motoko places her kendo stick at her side and spins on her heel.

"I accept your challenge, Urashima. You may choose the time and place of our final battle."

Thirty minutes later, Motoko sits in front of the shrine in her room when there is a knock at the door.

"Enter, please."

Shinobu slides the door open and steps into the room. Quietly, she closes the door and walks over to Motoko.

"Motoko-sempai. Please don't fight Sempai. He can't beat you, we all know that."

Motoko, her eyes still closed as incense drifts around her, shakes her head.

"I will face Urashima. My honor demands to be restored."

It is silent for a few moments and she turns and looks at the young cook. Shinobu has her fists clenched and tears run down her cheeks.

"To, to heck with your honor! Aaauuuuu!"

"Shinobu-chan!"

"Wh-what kind of honor says that y-you have to hurt someone that saved your life? Don't you see what you've done?"

Motoko rises and faces Shinobu.

"What I have done? What do you mean, Shinobu-chan?"

"Sempai never would have challenged you to a duel before. He's too kind and gentle! You hurt him and now he's changing!"

Motoko shakes her head.

"Preposterous! He is just finally showing some backbone. A true warrior faces his foes."

Shinobu spins and runs out the door.

"I don't understand! Only an idiot will try something that can't be done!"

"Shinobu-chan!"

Motoko lowers her hand and walks over to the door. She watches the young girl run down the hallway until she turns the corner. Sliding the door closed, she returns and kneels in front of her shrine once more. She clears her thoughts, but Shinobu's final words echo in her mind.

(Only an idiot will try something that can't be done.)

The sword master opens her eyes.

"Urashima is many things, most of which are vile or perverted, but he is not entirely stupid."

She stares at the burning incense, watching the patterns of blue smoke as it drifts in the air.

"Can it be that he truly believes he can defeat me? Impossible! He must be mad!"

She closes her eyes again, but they reopen a moment later.

"But, it is not wise to underestimate an opponent. Even a novice may defeat a master, if the master is not careful."

She reaches over and lifts her sword.

"It may be, that after all this time Urashima has discovered some weakness in my technique that I have overlooked."

Motoko draws the sword and studies the keen edge.

"Even the finest sword has a flaw, weak in one area so that the rest remains perfectly suited to its designed task. The master of the sword knows this flaw and uses the sword in ways that enhance its strengths."

She shakes her head.

"No, it is even more basic than that. The artisan that forges the steel knows the strengths and weakness of the sword's eventual master. He refines the blade so that it is in harmony with the wielder's purpose."

Motoko drops the blade and quickly rises to her feet as she realizes why she lost the kendo tournament.

"I, I had forgotten that I am the master of the sword. I had become the tool, not the wielder."

Kneeling, she reclaims her sword.

"Urashima, you shall not defeat me. By the spirits I swear this."

**Tuesday Evening.**

As the sun begins to set, Motoko and Keitaro stand ten meters apart near the hot spring. The other girls along with Hikari stand silently by the changing room door next to a pile of first-aid supplies. Everything they said was ignored, as Motoko and Keitaro are steadfast in their determination to finish their duel.

Motoko raises her sword in a salute to Keitaro. The corner of his mouth turns up in a slight smile. The sword master thinks to herself.

("He is indeed confident. I cannot risk using Shinmei-ryu no Zankusen, as he is well accustomed to that attack. Shinmei-ryu no Zanganken is also too familiar. I shall have to use another skill.")

The sword master tosses a small paper fan into the air. It slowly spins and flutters back towards the ground. As the tip touches the rocks, she launches herself towards her opponent. Keitaro, still wearing his cast, moves surprisingly fast towards her.

("Why is Urashima still wearing the cast? I thought that Hikari-sensei was to remove it today.")

Distracted, she barely has time to block as Keitaro clumsily swings at her. Angered by her own mistake, she spins full circle and aims to knock Keitaro's sword from his hands. Her blade passes through empty air.

"What?"

She looks up, expecting a surprise attack from above.

"Where?"

She spins around and raises her sword, expecting to block an attack from behind. There is no one there.

"Urashima! Where are you?"

"I tripped."

Turning around, she spots Keitaro starting to push himself off the ground. Feeling foolish for so overestimating her foe, Motoko snaps.

"URASHIMA!"

Leaping into the air, she swings her sword.

"Shinmei-ryu no Hyakka Ryuran! God's Cry Attack of The Hundred Blossoms Slash!"

Like arrows shot from one hundred bows, the darts of chi rain down on Keitaro, rupturing rocks and sending up a cloud of debris. Motoko lands lightly on her feet and is sent crashing into the ground as Kitsune slams into her. The fox jumps on top of her and grabs Motoko's collar with both fists

"What the heck were ya'll thinking? This was supposed to be a duel, not some demon attack!"

"But, it is Urashima's . . ."

Kitsune pulls her right arm back and slaps Motoko's cheek.

"Keitaro-san aint got your skills! Ya'll was supposed to fight on even terms!"

Kitsune turns as Hikari calls out.

"What kind of attack was that? I have never seen Motoko-san use it before! Keitaro-san is hurt so badly, I, I do not know where to start!"

Su, kneeling next to Keitaro, grabs the doctor's arm.

"He aint breathing! Ya gots to do something!"

Carefully, Hikari turns him over and checks for a pulse.

"Damn!"

She rips his shirt open and begins pressing down on his chest.

"Come on Keitaro, you are stronger than this!"

Tilting his head back, she breathes into him. She continues working as the other girls stand around her. After a minute, she leans back as Keitaro begins to moan. They carry him inside so that the doctor can continue treating his injuries. Motoko look around, retrieves the swords, and takes them back to her room. An hour later, she makes her way back downstairs. As she enters the kitchen, she sees Shinobu preparing some tea and soup.

"How, how is Urashima?"

Without looking up from her preparations, Shinobu answers.

"Sempai is lucky to still be alive after what you did to him. I hope that you honor is happy now."

"Maehara-san . . ."

Shinobu grabs the tray and turns around.

"I'm sorry, I have to get this to . . . why do you have your bags and suitcase?"

Motoko looks down at her belongings.

"Urashima won. I was defeated before we even started. Even though it was to be a duel, I never even considered not using my techniques to win."

A tear starts to form and slides down the young cook's cheek.

"Was, was that the deal Sempai made? That you'd leave us if you lost?"

Motoko shakes her head.

"No. The agreement was that he would leave Hinata forever if I was victorious. And I, I would have to live on the roof for a month if he defeated me."

Shinobu pours a glass of tea and hands it to the sword master.

"Sempai told me that he was sure he'd win. He was the one that suggested having all the bandages ready. I guess he knew that you'd really hurt him. Sempai even asked me to still be your friend regardless what happened."

Motoko sips the tea and nods her head.

"So, that is why you wanted me to cancel the duel. Because Urashima was so sure of the outcome, he, he . . ."

Motoko thinks back and smiles.

"Urashima used me like a sword."

Shinobu tilts her head.

"What do you mean, Motoko-sempai?"

She looks up.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all. May I help bring that to Urashima?"

Shinobu nods her head and smiles. They walk upstairs and enter Keitaro's room. The other girls sit around as Hikari finishes putting a cast on his other leg. Keitaro is covered with bandages from head to toe except for his nose and mouth. Su sits next to his head and talks to him while Naru and Kanako argue over who should stay with him during the night. Mutsumi and Kitsune sit in the corner with a bottle of sake and some watermelon slices. Motoko sets the tray down and stares at Keitaro.

"Why does he have his glasses on? He cannot see through the bandages."

Su looks up and smiles.

"I put them there so that ya can tell it is Keitaro!"

Keitaro lifts a bandaged hand.

"Is that you, Motoko-chan?"

"Yes, Urashima."

"Stupid kendo girl!"

The room goes silent. Motoko smiles and tilts her head.

"How did you know, Urashima?"

Kitsune sets her glass down.

"What, that ya'll is stupid?"

Keitaro waggles his hand for attention.

"You know why you lost, don't you?"

The sword master kneels next to his futon.

"Yes. It is the same reason why I lost at the kendo tournament. You were not to blame after all."

Through the window, there is a flash of lightning followed a few seconds later by a crash of thunder. Su leaps up and looks outside.

"Hokey cows! It's gonna be coming down in buckets tonight! It's a good thing all of us are inside where it's dry and cozy!"

Keitaro smiles.

"Yes, it'd be a shame to have to be outside in weather like this, wouldn't it Motoko-chan?"

She looks at the window and then at Keitaro.

"You are a vile, deceiving male, Urashima."

Hikari finishes cleaning the plaster from her hands and places the towel in the hamper.

"You know, and I am not completely sure about this, but I believe some good has come from your confrontation. While checking Keitaro, it seems that one of Motoko-san's, uh, whatever it was, struck his damaged eye and removed the scar tissue. If I am right, he should regain the use of that eye once more. It will be a few days before we can tell."

Su removes his glasses and draws two happy eyes on his bandages before replacing his eyewear.

"Horray!"

Kanako looks at Keitaro and shudders.

"I don't know about anyone else, but Oni-chan looks spooky like that. It's like those eyes follow us where ever we move."

Mutsumi crawls over and rests her head on his chest.

"Oh my! I don't mind if his eyes follow me. Kei-kun can look at me anytime!"

Shinobu gently pulls Mutsumi away and holds a glass of tea to Keitaro's mouth.

"Will we take turns staying with Sempai until he gets better?

Naru shakes her head.

"We still haven't decided that yet."

Hikari clears her throat.

"Well, seeing that Otohime-san was his nurse, she should be the one to take care of him."

Mutsumi claps her hands and moves to the closet. She opens it and pulls out a plastic wash tray.

"Oh goody! I still have my sponge bath set! It will be so much fun! Don't you agree Kei-kun?"

Su looks down at Keitaro's face and then at Hikari.

"Hey Doc! I think ya missed a spot. We gots a leak here! It's really gushing outta his nose!"

Later that night, after the girls had returned to their own rooms, Motoko sits on the roof holding an umbrella. Pulling Keitaro's spare raincoat so that it also covers her legs, she looks down at the hot spring.

"If I must be wet, it would be nice to at least be warm. However, a deal is a deal."

With her free hand she pulls some tissue from the box under the raincoat and replaces the blood-soaked ones in her nose.

"I just wish that Otohime-san had not mentioned the sponge bath."

**The End.**


End file.
